Providing a child with the best start in life depends on an integrated approach to early childhood care and development. This integrated approach requires input from the relevant sectors, such as  the health—including women’s health—nutrition, water and environmental sanitation, psychosocial care and early learning and child protection sectors. Utilizing this approach yields a number of immediate, mid-term and subsequent benefits, as outlined below.

• Immediate benefits include child survival, healthy growth, healthy development, less diseases and fewer illnesses.
• Mid-term benefits are: enhancing a child’s thinking and language skills, emotional and social skills, school readiness and self-esteem.
• Subsequent benefits include success in school and later in life as an active member of society.