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Millions of children around the world are not getting the best start in life.

They are missing out on the crucial care, stimulation and sensory education they need in the first five years of their life to fulfil their potential.

A child�鶹APP�s brain is 90% developed by the time they reach the age of five. Children who start school without early years support can have a limited vocabulary and ability to learn, impacting their opportunities in later life.

And even though the importance of providing nurturing care, including healthcare, nutrition, play, learning and protection, has been thoroughly proved, investment in the zero to five age group is still far too small.

That�鶹APP�s why the children�鶹APP�s charity �鶹APP has launched the #5for5 campaign to put pressure on world leaders to take urgent action to make sure all children �鶹APP� especially the poorest and most marginalised �鶹APP� have access to the full range of nurturing care.

The Sustainable Development Goals �鶹APP� a set of global targets agreed at the United Nations to be achieved by 2030 �鶹APP� includes ensuring all children �鶹APP�have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education�鶹APP�.

Now world leaders need to commit to a dramatic increase in funding and take action to support early childhood development programmes.

The #5for5 campaign will highlight five key factors which are needed in the first five years of life to provide nurturing care �鶹APP� nutrition, health, learning, play and protection.

�鶹APP President Sarah Brown said: �鶹APP�Whether or not children have access to the best start possible in life is determined by two important factors �鶹APP� sheer chance and political will.

�鶹APP�The political leaders and those with deep pockets need to follow up and urgently begin to establish the effort and funding to make this happen.�鶹APP� 

�鶹APP �鶹APP� the children�鶹APP�s charity behind A World at School �鶹APP� held a #5for5 event in Los Angeles yesterday to give supporters and celebrities a sneek peak at the campaign and its goals.

Among those attending the event were the British actor, writer and presenter Stephen Fry, former boxing champion Audley Harrison, American authors Holiday Reinhorn and Katherine Schwarzenegger, British actor Bonnie Wright, Filipino writer and campaigner Evelin Weber and American film-maker Steve Nguyen.

The launch of the campaign coincides with 

The report shows that the cost of inaction is huge. It says that �鶹APP�children who do not meet their development potential may forfeit up to a quarter of adult earnings, and some low and middle income countries as much as twice their national expenditure for health�鶹APP�.

What is early childhood development?

Early childhood development supports children�鶹APP�s nurturing care and development from birth to five. It includes programmes and services that every child needs to thrive and get the best start in life.

What does a child need to get the best start in life?

Nurturing care includes the following areas:

• Nutrition support for babies and toddlers, nursing mothers and pregnant women
• Access to health care and clean water and sanitation �鶹APP� starting with ante- and postnatal visits for pregnant women, a skilled birth attendant and vaccinations
• A child with access to pre-primary learning has a much better chance of continuing to learn in later life
• Opportunities for play and early learning are just as important to healthy development as physical support
• Child protection for ensuring healthy early development �鶹APP� this starts with registration at birth, so that children have proper legal standing and are guaranteed access to services such as education
• Researchers have proven that investing in the early years is one of the smartest investments a country can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality and boost productivity later in life.  

The recent influential report highlighted that �鶹APP�total returns on early education are very high �鶹APP� in some cases up to $7 for every $1 spent �鶹APP� and returns on early nutrition can be many times higher.