The Decade for Childhood

Embracing the human future.
Exploring childhood today, creating new opportunities for childhood tomorrow.

On March 30, 2012, during the Global Summit on Childhood, ACEI and the Alliance for Childhood launched the Decade for Childhood, a 10-year initiative that provides formal opportunities for
individuals and organizations to continue to disseminate knowledge, consider best policies and practices, and support a global conversation about childhood.

Continue to watch these pages for more information as the Decade proceeds
and click the JOIN US link below to express your support and sign up to receive updates.

The Decade for Childhood: An Invitation To Join Forces

The understanding of child development grew tremendously during the 20th century. Today, however, we feel a growing unease about the state of childhood. Too often, nations have been unable to translate new knowledge into actions that promote children's health and well-being. Rapid cultural and technological changes combine with age-old problems of poverty, neglect, and abuse to thwart the healthy development of huge numbers of children.

Current conditions pose a threat to childhood, and the need to address them is urgent. The Decade for Childhood is a multi-year initiative to explore what is eroding in childhood and to create new opportunities for childhood's future—our human future.

During the Decade, we will seek to answer questions such as these:

• What is our view of the human being and how does that affect our view of childhood?
• Have changes in child-rearing practices and societal expectations of children served children well or contributed to a decline in their overall well-being?
• What supports children—and ultimately all of us—in creating strong relationships, a healthy environment, and opportunities for lifelong growth and learning; and how do we make these a normal part of every child's life?

The Decade for Childhood provides a platform for examining questions like these and for experiencing the cross-fertilization that comes from exchanging ideas and experiences, and working together across many sectors and in many nations. It offers individuals and organizations a deepened understanding of how the issues they are addressing fit into the larger picture of childhood today. Through communication and collaboration, new partnerships—at local, regional, national, and international levels—can help extend our work, especially when enriched by insights across multiple sectors, including education, health, ecology, recreation, sociology, and psychology.

We invite you to join us in making 2012-2022 the Decade for Childhood. Specific plans and strategies will evolve over time in communication with you. A Global Summit on Childhood will be held in Washington, D.C., March 28-31, 2012, organized by the Association for Childhood Education International in conjunction with the Decade for Childhood initiative. It will bring together individuals and organizations from many sectors to examine the challenges facing childhood today and consider ways to address them.

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) and the Alliance for Childhood have joined together to create this initiative. There are many others who share our concerns and want to take action. We invite you to join with us in this partnership to help all children realize their full potential and to offer a promise for childhood's future. Please click here for an invitation to join.

Every child in every nation deserves a childhood full of
hope, joy, freedom, and promise for the future.

Join Us

The State of Childhood

During childhood, we develop the image of what it means to be a human being; from this image, we fashion the societies in which we live. Will they be harsh or compassionate, rigid or creative, mechanistic or human-centered? How we view and design our world depends largely on what we have learned and experienced in childhood.

Some experiences of childhood are relatively new, reflecting the economic, social, and technological changes that characterized the latter half of the last century. While many of these changes advanced children's well-being, others created problems, including a more fragmented, hurried, and anxious existence. Rising rates of childhood obesity, hyperactive disorders, depression, and stress are only a few examples.

Some experiences of childhood arise from practices in which children take on adult roles. Child labor and child marriage are examples of practices that may compromise childhood. Other experiences of childhood reflect economic challenges. All societies have children who suffer from the plague of poverty, with inadequate education, health care, housing, and food, among other challenges.

We can no longer afford to ignore the current state of childhood. The long-term effects of an unhealthy childhood will weaken societies that need creative and compassionate individuals with mature insights who are able to solve complex human problems. We have the collective strength to create a more robust and creative childhood for all children.

The Decade for Childhood is a collective, global initiative that seeks perspectives and insights from individuals and organizations about the current state of childhood. From it, we hope an enlightened view of childhood can emerge that will serve as a foundation for actions to support the spirit of childhood in the healthiest, most vibrant and creative ways possible.

Children Investing in Childhood

Many of today's children and young people possess wonderful gifts of empathy and engagement that must be nurtured. They show a deep concern for the environment and for the plight of those in need. They display a rich commitment to self-development and social change. They want to participate in solving the problems of today and in creating the world of tomorrow.

The Decade for Childhood will find ways to include the ideas and opinions of children and youth in examining the challenges of childhood. Indeed, all nations and communities should listen to the voices of their youngest citizens. Children can offer critical insights that support myriad societial developments. We must ask the question: What do the children say they need in order to lead successful and fulfilled lives?

Goals of the Decade

• Promote and protect childhood as a unique and critical stage of human development.
• Explore childhood from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives.
• Identify issues that erode childhood.
• Advocate for children's rights as a vital element of childhood.
• Translate the "Ten Pillars of a Good Childhood" into policies and practices that benefit all children

The Ten Pillars of a Good Childhood

The Ten Pillars of a Good Childhood were developed as guidance, a starting point that can be used to consider what a good childhood looks like today. Please use these pillars for your engagement with this decade. How are the Ten Pillars relevant to the experience of childhood in your home, your community, or your nation? Share the Ten Pillars with others. We would like to hear your opinions about the pillars and about creative ways that the pillars have been used by you to guide policies and practices related to the experience of childhood.

1. Safe and secure places for living and learning and access to health care, clothing, and nutritious food
2. Strong families and loving, consistent caregivers
3. Social interactions and friendships
4. Creative play and physical activity
5. Appreciation and stewardship of the natural environment
6. Creative expression through music, dance, drama, and the other arts
7. Education that develops the full capacities of the child—cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and ethical
8. Supportive, nurturing, child-friendly communities
9. Growing independence and decision making
10. Children and youth participating in community life.