We study the effect of paternity leave on early child development. We collect sur-vey data on 5,000 children under age six in Spain and exploit several extensions of paternity leave that took place between 2017 and 2021. We follow a differences-in-discontinuities research design, based on the date of birth of each child and using cohorts born in…

Father involvement is known as one of the most important issue in the family system for the healthy development of children almost all stages of development. Today there are a lot of studies indicating that positive and high levels of father involvement have a positive effect on children's social, cognitive, emotional and physical development.…

Early relational health (ERH) is not a new field, but an enhanced focus on knowledge from infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH), neurodevelopment, and related fields. ERH brings attention to the centrality of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and resilient communities as drivers for current and future health and well-being of…

A wide range of conditions in the places where children live, grow, play, and learn can get "under the skin" and affect their developing brains and other biological systems. Rapidly advancing science around early childhood development provides increasingly clear evidence that, beginning before birth, these environmental conditions shape…

Decisions being made on Capitol Hill and in state capitals may seem remote from the experiences of early childhood professionals, but policymakers have a big impact on babies and families. Early childhood professionals and parents bring key expertise and passion to policy advocacy and have a powerful role to play. This article identifies the…

This article describes the impact on young children of sudden and extended separation from a primary attachment figure. It recommends clinical intervention when the child's development and family functioning are negatively affected by the severity of the child's symptoms, and it highlights key treatment modalities derived from Child-Parent…

The recent headlines about parent and child separation at the U.S. border has raised concern about the impact of such experiences on young children. In this article, the author provides the children's perspective of parental separation and loss and their experience of mourning during infancy and early childhood. Three vignettes illustrate how…

Adults need to recognize and understand the importance of the parent-child relationship in supporting infants and young children who are exposed to traumatic events. All children need the support, security, and safety that come with a consistent, emotionally available relationship. For young children who have a more limited understanding and…

Many researchers have considered recent and intergenerational immigrant children's perspectives on immigration policies. Fewer have investigated nonimmigrant children's views despite children's sociopolitical identities forming long before they can vote. Drawing from data generated in spring 2017, the author illustrates how young children at an…

Background: In 1994, the African National Congress identified early childhood development as a potential strategy to redress the inequalities of apartheid, however, two and a half decades later, poverty still persists, and South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. Aim: This article explores how policy texts based on and with…

Nutrition is vitally important both during pregnancy and during a child's early years. Inadequate nutrition during this critical period can harm children's health and developmental outcomes throughout childhood and into adulthood. Thus, write Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach and Betsy Thorn, it's particularly important that young children have adequate…

More than 42 million immigrants live in the U.S.--roughly 13% of the total population (U.S. Census, 2015). Most are legal residents and, yet, over 11 million immigrants are considered undocumented, defined as foreign-born noncitizens who did not legally enter the U.S. or stayed past an authorized date (Baker & Rytina, 2013). Undocumented…

Severe and chronic stress in early childhood has enormous physical and mental health costs across an individual's lifespan. Unfortunately, exposure to early life adversity is common, and costs accrue to individuals and society. This article highlights several promising approaches to buffer children from the negative health consequences associated…

There have been significant recent developments in the policy arena in South Africa in respect of disability and of early childhood development viz. the "White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy." Using Bacchi's analytical framework encapsulated in the question,…

This study is the first to systematically investigate the influence of child gender and age, on parents' perceptions of UK children's digital media use at home. It provides an in-depth exploration of how children's age and gender influence the balance between children's use of digital and non-digital media at home. The data draw on 709 parents'…