What we are reading...

This report tracks the wellbeing of South African children under six, showing that post‑COVID‑19 many are more likely to live in poverty, face food insecurity, malnutrition and higher mortality. It presents data on health, nutrition, caregiver support, social protection and early learning to guide policy and action to improve early childhood development.

This report tracks the wellbeing of South African children under six, showing that post‑COVID‑19 many are more likely to live in poverty, face food insecurity, malnutrition and higher mortality. It presents data on health, nutrition, caregiver support, social protection and early learning to guide policy and action to improve early childhood development.

This book explores early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) in African contexts. It reviews identification, diagnosis, and intervention for childhood hearing impairment, highlights unique challenges in low- and middle-income settings, and offers culturally responsive, evidence-based practices, policy insights, and case studies aimed at improving outcomes for children with hearing loss across the continent.

This book explores early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) in African contexts. It reviews identification, diagnosis, and intervention for childhood hearing impairment, highlights unique challenges in low- and middle-income settings, and offers culturally responsive, evidence-based practices, policy insights, and case studies aimed at improving outcomes for children with hearing loss across the continent.

This scoping review maps existing evidence on combined hearing and vision screening programmes globally. It describes study characteristics, methods and outcomes from 19 studies, noting most originate from high‑income settings. The review outlines potential benefits like early detection and shared resources as well as challenges including follow‑up and implementation issues. It highlights a need for more research, especially in low‑ and middle‑income countries, and standardized reporting guidelines for integrated sensory screening.

This scoping review maps existing evidence on combined hearing and vision screening programmes globally. It describes study characteristics, methods and outcomes from 19 studies, noting most originate from high‑income settings. The review outlines potential benefits like early detection and shared resources as well as challenges including follow‑up and implementation issues. It highlights a need for more research, especially in low‑ and middle‑income countries, and standardized reporting guidelines for integrated sensory screening.

This report is a 2024 advisory by South Africa’s National Planning Commission ECD Advisory Report. It argues that better coordination across government departments and spheres is essential to build an integrated early childhood development (ECD) strategy that can inform the 2024‑29 Medium‑Term National Development Plan. The advisory highlights current coordination gaps and calls for urgent action to ensure children benefit from equitable, quality ECD services and stronger state capacity.

This report is a 2024 advisory by South Africa’s National Planning Commission ECD Advisory Report. It argues that better coordination across government departments and spheres is essential to build an integrated early childhood development (ECD) strategy that can inform the 2024‑29 Medium‑Term National Development Plan. The advisory highlights current coordination gaps and calls for urgent action to ensure children benefit from equitable, quality ECD services and stronger state capacity.

This report provides the first globally comparable data on children with disabilities, estimating nearly 240 million children (about 1 in 10) have disabilities. It shows they face greater disadvantages in health, nutrition, education, and protection than children without disabilities, highlighting widespread exclusion and calling for inclusive policies, better data, and equitable services to uphold their rights.

This report provides the first globally comparable data on children with disabilities, estimating nearly 240 million children (about 1 in 10) have disabilities. It shows they face greater disadvantages in health, nutrition, education, and protection than children without disabilities, highlighting widespread exclusion and calling for inclusive policies, better data, and equitable services to uphold their rights.

This is a guidance resource outlining indicators and tools to assess responsive caregiving and early learning practices in young children’s families and communities. It defines measurable behaviours (like play, communication and caregiver engagement), suggests data sources (surveys, observation tools), and helps programmes monitor and improve nurturing care for early childhood development.

This is a guidance resource outlining indicators and tools to assess responsive caregiving and early learning practices in young children’s families and communities. It defines measurable behaviours (like play, communication and caregiver engagement), suggests data sources (surveys, observation tools), and helps programmes monitor and improve nurturing care for early childhood development.

This is a set of 2025 country profiles developed under the Nurturing Care Framework by UNICEF in collaboration with Countdown to 2030: Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health. The profiles compile key indicators and data on early childhood development across nearly 200 countries to support monitoring, planning and policy action on nurturing care, early learning, health, nutrition and child well‑being globally.

This is a set of 2025 country profiles developed under the Nurturing Care Framework by UNICEF in collaboration with Countdown to 2030: Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health. The profiles compile key indicators and data on early childhood development across nearly 200 countries to support monitoring, planning and policy action on nurturing care, early learning, health, nutrition and child well‑being globally.

The Road to Health Book helps record a child’s growth, immunisations, and health interventions, and provides caregivers with practical health, nutrition, love, protection, healthcare, and extra‑care information to support their child’s development. It also encourages collaboration between caregivers and health workers and is available as a digital app (eRTHB).

The Road to Health Book helps record a child’s growth, immunisations, and health interventions, and provides caregivers with practical health, nutrition, love, protection, healthcare, and extra‑care information to support their child’s development. It also encourages collaboration between caregivers and health workers and is available as a digital app (eRTHB).

This review shows that South Africa’s Child Support Grant (CSG) reached over 13 million children but remains too low to protect them from hunger, malnutrition and stunting. It finds high child poverty rates, racially‑ and geographically‑unequal deprivation, and recommends increasing the CSG to at least the food poverty line to substantially reduce child poverty and improve child well‑being.

This review shows that South Africa’s Child Support Grant (CSG) reached over 13 million children but remains too low to protect them from hunger, malnutrition and stunting. It finds high child poverty rates, racially‑ and geographically‑unequal deprivation, and recommends increasing the CSG to at least the food poverty line to substantially reduce child poverty and improve child well‑being.

This article reviews the status of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) services for infants in South Africa. It highlights that while EHDI programs are the global standard, most children with congenital or early-onset hearing loss in South Africa are not identified early due to limited screening, low awareness, and scarce services. The paper discusses prevalence, current practices, barriers to universal newborn hearing screening, and the need for improved early identification and timely intervention to support optimal developmental outcomes.

This article reviews the status of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) services for infants in South Africa. It highlights that while EHDI programs are the global standard, most children with congenital or early-onset hearing loss in South Africa are not identified early due to limited screening, low awareness, and scarce services. The paper discusses prevalence, current practices, barriers to universal newborn hearing screening, and the need for improved early identification and timely intervention to support optimal developmental outcomes.

To improve and strengthen the delivery of the ECD function, the review examines expenditure that is allocated to ECD, identifies opportunities to increase or improve expenditure, and suggests ways to strengthen inter-departmental and cross-government collaboration to help ensure that all children in South Africa receive a comprehensive package of integrated support and services to build the foundations to thrive later in life.

To improve and strengthen the delivery of the ECD function, the review examines expenditure that is allocated to ECD, identifies opportunities to increase or improve expenditure, and suggests ways to strengthen inter-departmental and cross-government collaboration to help ensure that all children in South Africa receive a comprehensive package of integrated support and services to build the foundations to thrive later in life.

This paper argues that mainstream early childhood development (ECD) initiatives often overlook young children with developmental disabilities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. It advocates for specialized, family-centered early childhood intervention (Fc-ECI) that begins soon after birth and involves families as active partners, using evidence and a South African case study to show its benefits

This paper argues that mainstream early childhood development (ECD) initiatives often overlook young children with developmental disabilities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. It advocates for specialized, family-centered early childhood intervention (Fc-ECI) that begins soon after birth and involves families as active partners, using evidence and a South African case study to show its benefits