Kate has launched her new project that is said to be her life’s work (Picture: PA)
The Princess of Wales has said ‘it is more important than ever’ to support the development of young children as she launches her new early years campaign.
The Shaping Us campaign aims to improve society’s understanding of the importance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and ‘society as a whole.’
The long-term project, launched today by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, is said to be Kate’s ‘life’s work’, which she hopes will influence attitudes towards children in the early years period of their lives.
Kate said: ‘The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives.
‘It affects everything from our ability to form relationships and thrive at work, to our mental and physical well-being as adults and the way we parent our own children.
‘These are the most preventative years. By focusing our collective time, energy and resources to build a supportive, nurturing world around the youngest members of our society and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to the health and happiness of generations to come.
‘All of society has a role to play in this, even if you are not directly involved in a child’s life, because we are all responsible for building a more compassionate world in which our children can grow, learn and live.
The campaign aims to improve society’s understanding of the importance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and ‘society as a whole.’ (Picture: PA)
Kate has said her new project will help support young children and their parents (Picture: PA)
A still from the Princess of Wales’ new trailer for the Shaping Us project (Picture: PA)
‘In these difficult times, it is more important than ever to help support parents and caregivers provide loving safe and secure homes for their babies and young children to survive.’
A 90-second claymation film has also been released, depicting how the development of a young girl from the age of zero to five is shaped by interactions and her environment, and will be shown in cinemas from Friday.
The campaign has the support of a number of notable faces, including Professor Green, Fearne Cotton, Giovanni Fletcher, Zara McDermott and Leah Williamson.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said the importance of early years development will be ‘key focus’ for Kate for the ‘rest of her life’.
Amanda Berry, who leads the Royal Foundation, which is funding the project, said: ‘We’ve been raising awareness of the extraordinary impact of the early years and highlighting the need to increase societal understanding of the transformative impact of early childhood.
‘Our first public perception survey in 2022 found that less than one in five people understood the unique importance of the first five years of our lives, and within that the figures for young people and men were even lower.
‘As part of this campaign, we are publishing more in-depth research, which shows that around one in three, 36% of adults report knowing just a little or nothing about how children develop in their early childhood.
‘So, in response, we will be aiming to increase in those awareness figures significantly.’
Eamon McCrory, professor of developmental neuroscience and psychopathology at University College London, said: ‘By ensuring children and parents are supported during this critical period we – as individuals and a society – can positively influence the lives of the next generation for decades to come.’
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The Shaping Us campaign aims to improve society’s understanding of the importance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and ‘society as a whole.’
