Duchess of Cambridge highlights childcare at UCL

Duchess of Cambridge Highlights Childcare at UCL

 

The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood was launched by Kate, Duchess of Cambridge earlier this year. It was founded to focus on researching early years, with the aim both of raising awareness of the importance of early years and developing practical solutions in concert with the private and voluntary sector. It is now preparing to launch its study, “Children of the 2020s,” examining the lives of babies born in April, May an June 2021. Ahead of this, the Duchess visited UCL to learn more about the landmark research.

During the visit, the Duchess was shown archival materials, demonstrating the importance of longitudinal studies. In one examples, new mothers in the 1950s were asked a series of questions about their lifestyle, including whether they smoked. This ultimately contributed to the evidence base that enables women to make informed decisions about their and their baby’s health when pregnant. 

The new study intends to provide a new evidence base, drawing from the lives of a representative cohort of children in order to help inform policymakers and practitioners decisions about early childcare in the years to come. Before the visit, the Duchess said: “Our early childhoods shape our adult lives and knowing more about what impacts this critical time is fundamental to understanding what we as a society can do to improve our future health and happiness.”