Capitalizing on early childhood development (from conception to six years) is significantly useful in producing competent, responsible, patriotic, healthy citizenry, as this age level is the most decisive in social construction. Such a bold move is tantamount to nurturing nursery seedlings to get resilient, fruit-oriented, and unwavering trees, making a dense forest. Analogically, nurseries are early childhood segments, and trees in the forest represent adults in the community and social strata.
Cognizant of this fact, The Ethiopian Herald conducted an exclusive interview with Pediatrician and Deputy CEO, Chief of Programs and Research for the African -Center for Early Childhood Dev’t, Addis Ababa, Meseret Zelalem (MD) to have a professional point of view along this line.
She said, “Parental Coaching Service is the best strategy to come up with meaningful change in early childhood development and every child should get the best out of the framework. Parenting interventions throughout the first three years of life are beneficial for raising parenting techniques and promoting early childhood development in low, middle and high-income settings. To support parents and help young children reach their full developmental potential, more widespread and large-scale adoption of quality and effective parenting interventions is required.”
As to Dr. Meseret, this requires providing additional training and resources to parental coaches on child development milestones, responsive caregiving, and strategies to promote healthy child development.
As to her for children to reach their full potential, they need access to the five interrelated and inseparable components of nurturing care: good health, adequate nutrition, safety and security, responsive caregiving, and opportunities for early learning.
In the first years of life, parents, intimate family members and caregivers are the closest to the young child and thus the best providers of nurturing care. This is why secure family environments are important for young children. In order to provide caregivers with time and resources to provide nurturing care, policies, services and community supports need to be in place.
Good health
This concept refers to the health and well-being of the children and their caregivers. This move comprises interventions like family planning, HIV testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, essential newborn care including kangaroo care for small babies, immunization of mother and child, growth monitoring and counseling, promotion of health and well-being including health care seeking behavior, prevention and treatment of childhood illness and caregiver physical and mental health problems and care for children with developmental difficulties or disabilities
Adequate nutrition
Such an engagement represents maternal and child nutrition. Obviously, the nutritional status of the mother during pregnancy affects her health and well-being and that of her unborn child. After birth, the mother’s nutritional status affects her ability to breastfeed and provide adequate care via maternal nutrition, early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, continued breastfeeding after 6 months with appropriate and responsive complementary feeding, micronutrient supplementation for mother and child, as needed, adequate physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep in early childhood and management of moderate and severe malnutrition as well as overweight and obesity
Security and safety
Safe and secure environments for children and their families need to have such valuable interventions like physical dangers, emotional stress, environmental risks and access to food and water. Food security and access to clean water, clean indoor and outdoor air, good hygiene, protecting children from physical punishment, abuse, and neglect, safe spaces to play and social care services, including cash transfer to the most vulnerable families
Opportunities for early learning
This refers to any opportunity for the baby, toddler or child to interact with a person, place, or object in their environment. Recognizing that every interaction, positive or negative, or absence of an interaction, is contributing to the child’s brain development and laying the foundation for later learning is highly needed.
This intervention comprises activities that encourage young children to move their bodies, activate their five senses, hear and use language, and explore, using daily routines to talk to, play, and interact with baby/toddler/child, telling stories (including by elders), exploring books together and reading to the baby/toddler/child, talking to and with the baby/toddler/child, smiling, imitating/copying, and simple games e.g., peek a boo,, age-appropriate play with household objects and people, quality standards in formal child care spaces
Responsive Caregiving
This is the ability of the parent/caregiver to notice, understand, and respond to their child’s signals in a timely and appropriate manner. Social interaction is closely related to emotional development in infancy. At this age, babies’ primary connections to the outside world are through you, their primary caregivers. The individuals in an infant’s home who care for them, provide food, water, and shelter, and interact daily meet these socialization needs between birth and twelve months.
So the saying goes among child therapists, “Adults Talk, Kids Play.” Children cannot always articulate their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but they can express them through play. It is a powerful tool for learning, engagement, and growth.
In early childhood, peers will start to identify with each other as friends, and early childhood development sets the foundation for a child’s future growth, development, learning, productivity, success in school and in life, and overall well-being, she added.
Yes, early experiences shape brain architecture and have a direct impact on social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Moreover, this early timeframe provides a method to address inequality more effectively than it can be later in life.
The Addis Ababa City Administration focuses on ECD for children aged 0 to 6 years, emphasizing on holistic development through care services and action plans with the goal of fostering healthy, productive, ethical, and responsible citizens (Strategic Programs Management Office of the Addis Ababa City Administration Mayor’s Office, 2023).
According to Dr. Meseret, social development in early childhood refers to the gradual process by which a child learns to interact with others, form relationships, and develop a sense of self in relation to others. During this stage, children learn important skills such as communication, empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution. These skills help children understand their own emotions and those of others, build meaningful relationships, and navigate the social world around them. Social development in early childhood is crucial as it lays the foundation for future social, emotional, and cognitive development.
As to her, social development is also essential for building a child’s self-esteem. Children who feel comfortable interacting with others and forming positive relationships are more confident and have higher self-esteem. This can have a positive impact on their mental health and overall well-being.
“Children who engage in positive social interactions are more likely to have a positive outlook on life and be more optimistic. This can have a significant impact on their mental health and overall well-being. Besides, social development in early childhood lays the foundation for future success in life and helps children build strong relationships, communicate effectively, and navigate the social world around them. Here are five expert tips for encouraging social development in early childhood.”
Basically, fostering positive relationships matters the most. One of the best ways to encourage social development in early childhood is to foster positive relationships. This includes spending quality time with your child, playing with them, and encouraging them to interact with others. You can also help them build relationships by introducing them to new people and encouraging them to engage in social activities.
Next, encouraging communication is another important way to foster social development in early childhood. This includes helping children learn to express themselves, understand language, and communicate effectively. You can encourage communication by asking questions, encouraging them to tell stories, and helping them learn new words.
Teaching empathy is also an important social skill that helps children understand and relate to others’ emotions. Promoting positive interaction is essential for social development in early childhood.
Dr. Meseret winded up stating that social development in early childhood is a critical aspect of a child’s growth and well-being. By fostering positive relationships, encouraging communication, teaching empathy, promoting positive interactions, and encouraging active play, people can help children develop strong social skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 19 JUNE 2025
