First Years, First Priority

Eurochild and the International Step by Step Association co-lead a Europe-wide campaign to leverage EU policy and funds and drive public investment in early childhood development. The European Public Health Alliance and Roma Education Fund are associate partners. Organisations in 11 countries are selected to coordinate the campaign nationally (Finland, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy).

The campaign aims to influence public policies and spending so that all families – but particularly those living with adversity – get the support they need to provide a healthy, safe and nurturing environment for their youngest children. The campaign is focused on children under 6, in particular those who are disadvantaged due to disability, poverty, Roma ethnicity, or migration status.

It aims to achieve this by:

• Building a critical mass of actors advocating to prioritise investment in early childhood development.
• Leveraging the political and economic power of the EU by engaging with relevant policy coordination mechanisms (e.g. Semester, Roma, disability, children’s rights and gender equality) and monitoring the use of EU funds.
• Collating and compiling research and evidence to inform policy development.