What are the first 1000 days and why are they so important? According to UNICEF (2017), the first 1000 days is from the moment of conception up until the child’s second birthday. During this time, UNICEF (2017) states that this period of the first 1000 days is a period which is unique and is vital for the child’s survival and development. By receiving the right care and nutrition, children can not only survive but can continue to develop and grow as they should. This also has an important impact on society says UNICEF (2017). In South Africa, 1 in 3 children under the age of 3 are impacted by lack of nutrition and the effects of this can last a lifetime which include things like impaired brain development also weakened immune systems which puts them at higher risk of diseases in future. Again, this is according to the UNICEF (2107). There has been research completed in the fields of biology, neuroscience, and early childhood development. This research has given information on how nutrition, relationships, and environments in the first 1,000 days and how they shape the future outcomes for the child. This is according to A Thousand Days (no date). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory states that all babies need food, water, love, and safety. Although all babies need these things to survive, they may look different for every child. As an example, a baby may need to have their nappy changed at 10am, however not all children will require their nappies changing. As part of a nursery policy, nappies often get changed at certain times for all children despite not all children needing them changed. A way of helping parents to meet these basic needs of their child according to UNICEF (2017), is to educate families and to provide support about breastfeeding if the mother needs it. In poorer areas, educating about handwashing is vital to help stop the spread of diseases. To support the families to give their child the best chance during their first 1000 days, UNICEF work alongside other agencies to raise awareness and to strengthen communities so that people do not feel like they are on their own. Healthy pregnancy The first 1000 days begins from conception. A healthy pregnancy enables the child to have the best start in life. While the foetus in the womb, it can hear the mother’s voice and is susceptible to the environment around the mother. The foetus may also react to when the mother is distressed. The mental and physical wellbeing is important for the foetus also. What is exceptional care? Exceptional care involves a holistic approach to a child’s life. It also means that staff are well trained and educated. It should also be about the community and ensuring that the community is supported. Exceptional care also means that constant communication is vital as if something is missed then the child could be in potential danger. This communication can be between the early year's practitioners, but also it should involve the parents or carers and any external agencies if necessary, such as social workers or health visitors. According to Welsh Government (2016), there are national minimum standards for children, and they state that all parents/guardian have the choice for what childcare provision their child attends, however it is the responsible person’s role to ensure that parents are given the correct information about the setting but also to provide a statement of purpose. Within these national standards, a contract must be given from the setting to the parents. The contract must include the information about the terms and conditions between the setting and the family. The outcome for the child attending the setting must be that all children will have their needs met also that their parents know how the setting will meet their child's needs. Current challenges of caring for a child/ infant within the setting There have been and are currently many challenges that face early years practitioners whilst caring for a child in settings. One of these challenges is the Covid-19 pandemic. This has affected everyone in all settings as well as the children in their homes. Within the setting, Covid-19 has had a detrimental impact on the child’s development and their learning resources have become limited. An example of this is that settings are no longer allowed to put sand out for the children as their mixing germs throughout the activity and therefore the virus is more likely to spread. This is again the same with water play, although some settings have used soap within the water play and made an activity out of it such as hand washing or cleaning dolls. The Government (2022) states in a document, ways to control and manage the early years care provider settings throughout the pandemic. They state one way is to ensure good hygiene practice with both staff and the children. Another form of a control measure is to ensure good cleaning practice with surfaces and toys etc. Ventilated rooms are another control measure to reduce the challenge of covid-19. Another challenge that faces caring for an infant or a child is the community. The community can be a challenge against caring for an infant or a child. As communities are made up of diverse families, it is important that there are opportunities for children and parents to communicate so that the families feel more at home within the community and they may find someone they can rely on or trust within the community which can help raise self-confidence. Nutrition According to thousand days (no date), children who have good nutrition early in life so within the first 1000 days can get far in the future. They have stated that children who receive good nutrition early on in life achieve better grades and better jobs in the future. With stable and responsive relationships alongside a nurturing environment, nutrition during the first 1000 days shapes the child’s brain development. Piaget is a theorist who can be linked to nutrition as nutrition links to the child’s cognitive development. According to very well mind (2020), Piaget’s theory of cognitive development has 4 stages and that all children move through the four stages from birth to ages 12 and up. The stage that children will go through within their first 1000 days will be the sensorimotor stage where children learn through their movements, but also through simple actions such as grasping and sucking. During this stage of cognitive development children go through a dramatic growth and learning journey. Whilst children work with the environment, they make new discoveries about how the world works. Single parents According to Hello Motherhood (2018), being a single parent is hard on the parent but also the child and the external family. It can have a significant impact on the individuals involved and can emotionally impact them. Whilst most single parents are the main income earner of the house, it can put strain on the family and could lead to poverty or the child performing lower at school compared to children from a family with both parents. If there is only one parent in the house and they are working full time, this can mean that the child may get less attention from the parent so therefore the child could seek attention from their caregiver. The child can be at higher risk of not being able to socialise with others due to them not having a role model at home for them to copy from which in time can lead to loneliness and low self-esteem. On the other hand, a child and the parent may form a closer bond as their dependent on each other throughout their lives. Children who are from single parent homes may also be likely to form closer bonds with their external family members and/or family friends as those people often help to raise the child. Although single parenting can have negative effects, it can also have positive effects on the child states Hello motherhood (2018). According to a study at Cornell University, there was no negative impact on children from a single parent household in a social or educational development. John Bowlby is a theorist who we can link to single parenting as he discusses the attachment theory. According to health research funding (no date), Bowlby states that all children need to attach to at least one primary figure. This enables the child to feel more comfortable to explore the world and environment. If there is no attachment to a primary figure, then there can be serious behavioural outcomes later in the child’s life. This is due to the child not feeling a way of developing their bond for safety. Bowlby also states that a child needs continuous care from their primary figure for the first 2 years of their life. Due to the first year of the child’s life being the most important, if the continuous care is disrupted then this could put the child at higher risk of suffering long-term consequences. This could include things like emotional difficulties and possible cognitive issues. Enabling experiences Symbolic representation According to the enabling pathways document (2021) symbolic representation is also a part of the child’s development. Symbolic representation can be developed by enabling experiences to the child. To enable these experiences there should be a range of mark making tools and materials available so that young children can begin to make their marks. The enabling pathways document (2021) also states that children should have access to indoor and outdoor physical activity to promote their enjoyment. Whilst enabling these opportunities for indoor and outdoor activities, it will provide children with support in developing their awareness of their bodies as well as focusing on gross and fine motor skills. The benefit of focusing on these aspects is the more opportunities the child can have, the more confident they will be to try something new. Experiences should reflect the diversity of culture within Wales. Treasure baskets According to Early Impact, 2022 treasure baskets are usually a wicker basket but can also be a box or a bucket filled with random objects which tend to stimulate the curiosity of babies. Treasure baskets can be used when babies begin sitting up so that they can interact with the objects independently. Treasure baskets can be used until the babies begin moving around the room with the objects. When babies begin to move the objects around the room the treasure baskets turn into something called heuristic play which is very similar to treasure baskets, but the main difference is movement rather than the child sitting still. There are things to remember when creating a treasure basket as they can sometimes become a risk for babies. The basket should be shallow, so it allows easy access for babies to reach into the basket. The basket should also have a heavy base to stop it turning over onto a baby. Items within the basket should be mixed up of manmade objects but also natural objects. Items with different textures is a good idea as babies will learn about the different textures. Objects that have a particular smell or that make a noise is also a good idea for something to put in a treasure basket. Songs and stories According to Early years careers, 2016 nursery rhymes, stories and songs are important for children and babies as it begins to develop their language and communication skills. There are a variety of ways that these can be portrayed for example simply by reading a book or even incorporating musical instruments or props. Whilst singing songs and reading stories, the babies or young children can get to know their peers which develops their social skills. Early literacy can also be developed as by singing a variety of nursery rhymes, the children can hear and begin to recognise different sounds. Listening to nursery rhyme sounds as well as sounds out in the environment, this helps provide children with the foundations they need to read and write. The time spent singing nursery rhymes can help the adult and the child develop their relationship with each other. Enabling environments The environment should be central to the child’s development and learning. This should include the indoors and outdoors environment. A sense of belonging can be developed but also an appreciation of the world around them whilst enabling opportunities for exploring the environments. This is according to enabling pathways (2021). Whilst environments are being explored, they should value diversity and celebrate inclusivity. The environment should also provide opportunities for children to have curiosity about the living and the non-living world which motivates them to explore further which develops their critical thinking skills. Within the environment should be flexibility and variety which can help children to develop confidence and resilience, but this is only developed by giving children risks and challenges. By offering risks and challenges, this enables the child to develop problem solving skills and again their critical thinking skills. There are many theories about how children learn through different environments. Vygotsky stated that children’s learning is within a social context and the two cannot be separated. Vygotsky also states that language and the use of language is important for the child’s cognitive development. This is according to Brodie, (2018). According to Brodie, (2018) there are two forms of environment which are physical environment and emotional environment. The physical environment is based upon the building structure, layout, equipment, and organisation of the space. Two different rooms can be set up with the exact same equipment, however the environment will appear different. The emotional environment is based upon how the child feels within the environment whether that be indoors or outdoors. For babies we can improve their environment by placing toys in front of them but out of reach so that they must move to get the toy. This develops their physical development but also improves their hand-eye coordination. It also improves determination of the baby as they must keep going if they want that toy. We can ensure that the environment is safe and okay for children by choosing equipment that is suitable for the environment. When choosing equipment, practitioners must remember quality over quantity. Learning and value are added to the environment where practitioners play with the children and make the most out of the materials. Open ended resources such as tubes and cardboard allow for the most imaginative play as they can be whatever the child wants it to be even if one child wants it to be something else. A language rich environment is important for babies. This includes effective communication, and it must be developmentally appropriate. An adult must be responsive to children so that their needs can be met as the child will let the practitioner know what they want. All children need to be included even if this must be persuaded in a unique way to how you include all the other children. This can be done by allowing the child to choose what they want to do next if they join in. If a child responds in a negative way, they may have been responded to too late so that they no longer know what they want. Enabling adults Pikler is a theorist who is associated with enabling adults. According to David Witty (2019), Pikler (1946) had a principle of spending one-to-one time with children whilst taking care of their care aspects such as feeding and caring them. By spending one-to-one time with children, it enables the child to feel relaxed as the environment will be relaxed and calm. Although the child may not be able to respond, the caregiver must always tell the child what they are intending to do so that the child is aware of what is going on. Pikler also explains about respecting the infant as a person and try to get them to engage in their own personal care if the child can. World Health Organisation conducted research about Dr.Pikler’s research and explained that by respecting infants and engaging in one-to-one time, the children grew up to be well-adapted and successful with no showing signs of poor outcomes later in adult life. Pikler’s theory comes into play with respectful care and allows us to care for children but in a respectful way by getting to know the children and allowing them to engage in their personal care if they can. According to Glazzard et al (2009), within Te Whariki which means ‘the mat in which everyone can stand upon’ the role of the adult is to scaffold the child’s learning. By doing this, accurate assessments can be done so that tasks can be done to the child’s ability. Foundation phase and National minimum Standards According to Early Years Wales (2020), the foundation phase is not relevant to children until the age of 3 which means that babies are forgotten about a such within this document. However, the foundation phase is being replaced by the new curriculum but again this is aimed at children from the age of 3. National minimum standards effectively deal with children up to the age of 12. Their main aim is to provide equal opportunities for every child. The principal areas of focus are play and activity, the Welsh language and child/infant health and nutrition. The care council for Wales is responsible for ensuring that all staff are qualified to work to a high standard within the sector.