Kate’s promise to help the under-fives
THE Princess of Wales will launch a high-profile campaign this week about the ‘critical importance’ of early childhood experiences.
Kate said she was ‘absolutely determined’ to change attitudes towards children’s development in the first five years of life.
She has gathered support from experts and stars from television, music and sports for the Shaping Us campaign, which will launch tomorrow.
It will feature a series of engagements teamed with social media messages and videos aimed at raising public awareness about the role of early years in shaping adult life.
In an open letter released at the weekend, Kate, 41, made an impassioned plea for the world to become a ‘more supportive and loving place’ for young children.
She urged people to ‘spend more time and energy’ on younger children, following years of research into childhood development.
She wrote: ‘As a society, we currently spend much more of our time and energy on later life. I am absolutely determined that this long term campaign is going to change that.
‘It will start by highlighting how we develop during early childhood and why these years matter so much in terms of shaping who we become. I urge everyone reading this to take the opportunity to learn more about this incredible time of life, to think back to your own childhood and how it shaped you and most importantly, to ask yourselves what you can do to make the world a more supportive and loving place for our children.’
Kate – mother to Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four – will launch the campaign with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she set up in 2021.
Reports by the centre have shown that the first five years of life shape future wellbeing more than any other stage of development.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘The princess feels there is a huge opportunity in front of us to bring about societal change.
‘This will be her life’s work and a key focus for the rest of her working life.’
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: ‘All too often in this country, education policy – and funding – is focused on the school years and beyond, while our vital early education sector remains overlooked and undervalued.
‘We are hugely grateful to the Princess of Wales for using her platform to raise awareness of the need for action on this important issue – and hope that policymakers might just finally sit up and listen.’