Starter Kit PPT Deck

COST MINIMUM SCALE GOVERNMENT
Idea
A few square meters INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
 Education  Planning
Health Transport
POP-UP PLAY
 
MAINTENANCE
1
Mobile containers of books, toys and games for small EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
IMPLEMENTATION EXAMPLES
• Canberra, Australia
• Brussels, Belgium
children, along with movable benches and chairs, can
LEVEL • Bogotá, Colombia
be easily towed by bicycle or car. Tested and implemented • Amman, Jordan
It fills public space with life, engages community members and

is an efficient way to test ideas for permanent infrastructure. It
can provide moments for parents and children to socialise and
may contribute to reducing their stress. It is widely used around
the world, but there is a need to develop more experiences that
are inclusive of the youngest children.
Photo: Courtesy of Cultureghem

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
Health Transport
URBAN
 
MAINTENANCE
2STORIES
Stories can be disseminated throughout the urban EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Melbourne, Australia
• Ciudad Bolivar, Bogotá, Colombia
environment as murals, art installations and sculptures.
LEVEL • Accra, Ghana
Tested and implemented
Apart from a beautification effect, they have potential to trigger
learning and curiosity in young children and can be used to foster
interactions with caregivers.
Every place has its stories, so it also contributes to strengthening

a community and can be adapted to any context.
Photo: Courtesy of Fundación Casa de la Infancia

Idea
Neighbourhood INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
SAFE &
MAINTENANCE  Health  Transport
3PUBLIC EXISTING
• New York, USA
BREASTFEEDI
IMPLEMENTATION • New Zealand
LEVEL • Hum na Sutli, Croatia
Exclusive breastfeeding, particularly in the first six months of In experimentation
NG
life, can improve children’s health and nutrition, and the
bonding experience with their mothers.
Longitudinal studies have found that breastfeeding has a long-term

impact on a range of developmental outcomes. Encouraging
breastfeeding in public spaces can be done through safer
environments for women to feel secure (lighting, pavements, urban
furniture), but also through supportive infrastructure, policies and
campaigns. Feeling safe and comfortable to breastfeed can reduce
mothers’ stress.
Photo: Courtesy of proyecto aUPA

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
BEHAVIOURAL
4PROMPTS EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• São Paulo, Brazil
• Tulsa, USA
LEVEL • Boston, USA
Any place where children linger with their parents can be a Tested and implemented • Amsterdam, Netherlands
place of learning, from a supermarket to a bus stop. • Ghana
A set of key messages and caregiving behaviours to promote can

be identified and spread through behavioural prompts in the
physical environment (on walls, in markets, on billboards, on
product packaging).
To increase their effect, these messages can be strengthened

through mobile phones and online channels, or through coherent
messages from other people in parents’ lives, such as health
professionals, teachers, employers, barbers, imams, bus drivers.
Photo: Courtesy of Che Aria Respiro

Idea
Street INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
TEMPORARY
5PLAY STREETS EXISTING

IMPLEMENTATION
• Mexico City
• Libreville, Gabon
LEVEL • New York City, USA
Closing a network of streets at regular intervals allows people Tested and implemented • Manaus, Brazil
of all ages to have a safe public space to play, meet, and be • Santiago, Chile
active.
Temporary closures are a step toward permanent solutions, which

can be difficult to implement without first building citizen support.
Temporary closures also give everyone a chance to breathe cleaner
air, increasing motivation for more regular closures.
These events increase parental perception of safety, reducing their

stress and allowing more outdoor play time for children, and more
socialisation between neighbours.
Photo: © iStock.com/darrya
Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
OPENING
6PUBLIC EXISTING
• New York, USA
FACILITIES
IMPLEMENTATION • Dhaka, Bangladesh
LEVEL
In experimentation
OUT OF HOURS
Placing play facilities within existing public facilities, such as
schools or healthcare centres, ensures a degree of care and
maintenance.
They can then be opened out of hours for the community,

increasing access for young children and their caregivers to a
nearby play space.
These places tend to be trusted by caregivers and opening them

longer increases opportunities for gathering after work, reducing
parental stress related to limited time and space for play.
Photo: Eleazar Cuadros/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
STORYTELLIN
7G IN PUBLIC EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Bengaluru, India
LEVEL • Jakarta, Indonesia
Storytelling is one of the best ways to improve language Tested and implemented
development and get children ready for learning to read and
write.
It is also a medium to improve social and emotional bonding

between caregivers and children. It contributes to caregiver well-
being and reduces their stress. Every community has stories, so it
can easily draw on local resources.
Creating storytelling activities for young kids reinforces the idea

that language development starts long before children are talking
and that simple techniques can have a positive impact on early
brain development.
Photo: Jon Spaull/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
DESIGN
8FOR PLAY EXISTING

IMPLEMENTATION
• Richmond, USA
• San Francisco, USA
LEVEL • Copenhagen, Denmark
Playgrounds – or designated play spaces – are bounded in Tested and implemented • Gwangju, South Korea
space and not evenly spread. When possible, it is better to • Kharagpur, India
think of the whole city as a playground.
Use behavioural prompts and design to encourage play during the

walk along the street, at the bus stop, in plazas and waiting areas.
Undesignated play spaces like these offer additional play
opportunities and a more diverse learning environment for young
children. And remember to include benches and other areas where
people can stop and rest, as young children and caregivers are
especially likely to need a break along the way.
In some contexts, negative parental behaviours towards outdoor

play remain a challenge. Improving parents’ and caregivers’
perception of safety will also foster more play, and contribute to
reducing their levels of stress.

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
NATURE
9TAKEOVER EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Antwerp, Belgium
• Recife, Brazil
LEVEL • Sydney, Australia
Turning unused or dilapidated infrastructure into community Tested and implemented • San Francisco, USA
gardens, small parks or natural playgrounds has increased
spaces where children can play and families can meet.
This gives babies and toddlers access to nature, creates a stronger

sense of community and improves environmental awareness. It
also improves children’s self-efficacy – or their sense of
achievement, their sense of cause–effect and their nutrition and
understanding of where food comes from.
Exposure to nature on a regular basis has a positive impact on

mental health for both children and caregivers, in addition to
improving self-regulation skills and physical development in
children.
Photo: Vanessa Touzard/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
A TREE FOR
10
EVERY BABY EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Wales, UK
• Rotterdam, Netherlands
LEVEL • Cambridge, UK
A way to increase tree coverage could be to plant a tree for Tested and implemented
each newborn, prioritising the neighbourhood where the child
is born.
When done with a communications component, this initiative

provides an opportunity to connect the issues of air quality, nature
and child development.
The tree canopy can improve local air quality and provides natural
areas for children to play in. Increased green coverage has also
been associated with better mental health for all.
Photo: Peter de Ruiter/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
MERGING
11
GREEN AND EXISTING
• London, UK
PLAY SPACES
IMPLEMENTATION • Bhubaneshwar, India
LEVEL • Bogotá, Colombia
Tested and implemented • Ghana
Park design that integrates play or playground design based on

natural elements fosters better development for young
children.
It increases their motor skills, but also their creativity and contact
with nature. Exposure to nature on a regular basis has a positive
impact on mental health, self-regulation and physical
development.
Rolling hills in a park can provide play opportunities without

integrating any specific play elements, while integrating
1-metre-tall ferns in a playground can lead to endless hide-and-
seek fun. It also provides a pleasant experience to caregivers who
can receive mental health benefits from a heightened connection to
nature.
Photo: Courtesy of Think Playgrounds

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
TARGETED
12
AIR QUALITY EXISTING
• Arizona, USA • Oslo, Norway
IMPROVEMEN
IMPLEMENTATION • London, UK • Paris, France
LEVEL • California, USA • Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tested and implemented • Germany • Hong Kong, China
TS
Air quality is hyper-local: while it is a global problem, short
distances can make a difference.
Targeted interventions around the places where pregnant women,

young children and caregivers spend the most time have great
potential. However, while the effects of pollution on pregnant
women, babies and toddlers have been well proven, there has been
less experimentation around targeted improvements and most
child-focused interventions have centred around schools, which
are not relevant for babies. More testing is needed.
Photo: Oded Antman/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
PLAYWORKER
13
S AND FREE EXISTING
• UK
PLAY
IMPLEMENTATION • Germany
LEVEL • Denmark
Free play is crucial for learning and brain development, as Tested and implemented • South Korea
children learn to evaluate and navigate risk. It also helps them
to develop creativity and their motor and social skills.
Free play happens when children are not under parental

supervision or restrictions. Playworkers – or trained play staff –
and adventure playgrounds allow this without placing young
children in dangerous situations.
Playworkers are available to assist a child if needed, but strive to

be as inconspicuous as possible to allow children to direct their
own play.

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
SAFER STREET
1CROSSINGS EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• La Paz, Bolivia
• Bhubaneshwar, India
LEVEL • Mexico City
Road crossings can easily be made safer for young children and Tested and implemented
caregivers by signage for drivers.
For example, adding colours increases awareness of the presence

of children and encourages them to use crossings. More
comprehensive design interventions can significantly increase
safety, such as adding traffic islands, shrubs and other shielding
elements, as well as introducing speed reduction devices such as
speed bumps. Design interventions may also influence perceived
safety for parents, reducing their stress levels.
Photo: Courtesy of Liga Peatonal

Idea
City INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
SUBSIDISED
2PUBLIC EXISTING
• São Paulo, Brazil
TRANSPORT
IMPLEMENTATION • Columbus, Ohio, USA
LEVEL • Tohoku, Japan
The price of public transport acts as a barrier to mobility for

the poorer sections of the population.
One result is reduced access to healthcare, leading to fewer

prenatal visits and a higher likelihood that a caregiver will wait
until an emergency to seek help. Lowering the cost can improve
access and improve healthy development for both mother and
child. Reducing the transport burden also contributes to reducing
levels of stress of caregivers.

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
CHILDREN
3ROUTES EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Eindhoven, Netherlands
• Boulder, Colorado
LEVEL • Mexico City
Marking children’s daily routes with colours and playful In experimentation
elements can help improve their mobility while increasing the
playability of the public space. These routes typically connect
residential areas with schools, playgrounds and parks.
This also alerts drivers to the presence of children in the area, and
increases levels of perceived safety for parents, thus reducing their
stress levels. It allows for earlier independent mobility and ensures
a visible focus on children mobility.
Implementing a children route may lead to a public space being

assessed for friendliness to families, by identifying dangerous
areas, for example.
Photo: Courtesy of Fundación Casa de la Infancia

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
SAFE,
4INTERESTING EXISTING
• Philadelphia, USA
AND PLAYFUL
IMPLEMENTATION • Melville, Australia
LEVEL • Medellín, Colombia
TRANSIT
Mobility also implies moments of immobility, which can be
opportunities for learning and play.
Turning a bus stop into a learning experience can be done via

messages and stories, or games relying on colours or shapes.
Messages can also be included inside the buses or trains to
encourage interactions or games. Similarly, enhancing safety at
stations and other transport access points – by reducing gaps and
allowing for pushchair access, or ensuring shade and lighting – can
greatly improve the caregivers’ experience and enhance their
mobility. This can also be done by ensuring a level of comfort at
stations.
Thinking multimodal transit for young children and their

caregivers – by providing ‘strollable’ (stroller-friendly) pavements
to reach a public transit station for example – will greatly boost
their mobility.

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
PEDESTRIAN
5IMPROVEMEN EXISTING
• Copenhagen, Denmark
TS
IMPLEMENTATION • Eindhoven, Netherlands
LEVEL • San Francisco, California, USA
Increasing pavement width, walkability and ‘strollability’ – Tested and implemented • City of London, UK
walking while pushing a pushchair – increases opportunities
for interaction and play, and reduces the likelihood of
collisions and injuries.
It provides more time to catch a toddler who runs off towards the
street and allows for a more comfortable walk during which
caregivers and kids are less stressed and more likely to use the
time for positive interactions. Ensuring that pavements remain free
from obstructions (cars, stalls), and comfortable (shade, benches)
is crucial, and requires maintenance and enforcement of
regulations in addition to design interventions. Interventions can
easily be tested temporarily first.
Finally, by ensuring a walkable connection between the places

where young children and caregivers go frequently (health clinic,
childcare, park or playground), cities encourage physical activity,
reduce stress and increase quality of life.
Photo: Courtesy of @petemilnes

Idea
Street INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
TRAFFIC
6CALMING EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Kigali, Rwanda
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Libreville, Gabon
• New York City, USA
LEVEL • Paris, France • Manaus, Brazil
Reducing car speed (via regulation, speed bumps, modified Tested and implemented • Denmark • Bogotá, Colombia
street patterns) increases safety for all, and especially young • Mexico City • Barcelona, Spain
children.
It also reduces their exposure to air pollution and frees up public

space. Traffic calming or complete interruption on a temporary
basis is a good way to start. Increased pedestrianisation of streets
also has some ancillary benefits, such as increased business for
local shops and more ‘eyes on the street’. Slower traffic also
means an increased perception of safety and reduces caregiver
stress.

Idea
City INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
PROTECTED
7BIKE LANES EXISTING

IMPLEMENTATION
• Netherlands
• Melbourne, Australia
LEVEL • Boulder, Colorado, USA
Segregated cycle lanes are good for biking in general, but even Tested and implemented • Turin, Italy
more critical for encouraging caregivers riding with babies and • Santiago, Chile
toddlers on their bikes or toddlers using a solo bike for the first
time.
They have a strong impact on reducing stress levels for caregivers

through an increased perception of safety. By fostering healthy
habits in children from an early age, bike lanes have a positive
impact on air quality.

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
EVERYTHING
8NEARBY EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Maranhão, Brazil
• Antwerp, Belgium
LEVEL • Tucumán, Argentina
When establishing new service facilities such as childcare or Tested and implemented • Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya
health clinics, thinking about proximity is important – and
favouring denser but smaller service provision is ultimately
better for young children and caregivers to access them.
In already urbanised areas where building new facilities may be

complex, one possibility is to use existing private spaces for the
municipality to provide a service. In this way, municipalities can
rapidly increase density and coverage of children’s service
provision.
This notion of proximity is especially relevant to reducing travel

time and stress for parents from poorly equipped (often informal)
neighbourhoods, as well as in new developments where space can
be reserved at the outset.
Photo: Courtesy of proyecto aUPA

Idea
City INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
PRIORITY
1ACCESS TO EXISTING
• Boa Vista, Roraíma, Brazil
SERVICES FOR
IMPLEMENTATION
LEVEL
In experimentation
YOUNG FAMILIES
Giving families with young children preferential access to local
services, such as not having to wait at the town hall for
administrative tasks, improves their well-being.
It also sends a political message of commitment from the local

authorities. It requires data collection on the administrative
situation of families with young children, and a capacity to share
the data across city departments.

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
NEIGHBOURHOO
2D DIRECTORIES EXISTING
• Chicago, USA
FOR EARLY
IMPLEMENTATION • Tel Aviv, Israel
LEVEL
Conceptual
CHILDHOOD
SERVICES
Cities and even communities themselves may not be aware of
all the informal and private resources available to support
child development.
Applying community solidarity – or the principles of the sharing

economy – can be done through the creation of neighbourhood
directories. These directories can record residents’ skills and
experience in areas such as child health, nutrition, childcare, and
early learning parenting and topics. This allows caregivers in need
of counsel to reach out to someone nearby. It also fosters local
community cohesion.
Photo: Courtesy of Che Aria Respiro

Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
ICT-ENABLED
3COACHING EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Jordan
LEVEL • USA
While still relatively untested relative to person-to-person- Tested and implemented • South Africa
based approaches, the use of mobile phones and other • Nepal
technologies, as well as the application of artificial intelligence
to augment parent coaching, is a promising area for
exploration.
These approaches allow for large-scale reach at relatively low cost

and allow caregivers more anonymity to address some sensitive
topics.
Photo: © iStock.com
Idea
 Social Services
 Parks
PARENT
4COACHING EXISTING
• USA
BUNDLED WITH
IMPLEMENTATION • Kenya
LEVEL • Mozambique
Tested and implemented • Peru
HEALTH
Health services are a natural touch point working with
• Brazil
SERVICES
parents, since they reach the family during pregnancy and
have regular contact during a child’s early years.
Healthcare workers are also typically trusted figures in the

community and people from whom caregivers would find advice
credible. Training healthcare workers to deliver new messages and
use more effective coaching techniques can be a very cost-
effective way to make a difference in children’s development and
parental well-being.

Idea
City INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
INTEGRATED
4EARLY EXISTING
• Netherlands
CHILDHOOD
IMPLEMENTATION • Brazil
LEVEL • London, UK
In experimentation • Netherlands
SERVICES
Integration and shared back offices provide several advantages
for early childhood services.
Due to the comprehensive nature of early childhood development

and the necessity for cooperation between city departments such as
Social Services, Health and Education, merging the back office
when it comes to tracking and monitoring the child’s development
increases efficiency.
It also influences caregiver well-being by providing a better

diagnosis of their situation, and can be based closed to the target
population, for example in a community centre.
Photo: Jon Spaull/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Idea
City INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
TRAINING IN
1DATA EXISTING
• Istanbul, Turkey
LITERACY FOR
IMPLEMENTATION
LEVEL
CITY STAFF
Data dashboards are only as good as the quality of the data
and the utility of the data to people who need to use it for
decision making.
This often requires training in data literacy and management, as

well as process to ensure that data is accurate. While this is a more
general issue, it is particularly relevant to early childhood because
a lot of service provision is done informally and by providers who
may not have strong administrative capacities.
Moreover, since direct measures of child outcomes may not be

available, there is a need to determine what proxy data can be used
for effective decision-making.

Idea
City INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
CHIEF CHILD
2DEVELOPMEN EXISTING
• Tirana, Albania
T OFFICER
IMPLEMENTATION • Tel Aviv, Israel
LEVEL
Having a designated member of the municipal team with a

mandate from city leadership working on child development
can create momentum and commitment within the municipal
team and enable cross-sector collaboration.
It creates a platform to review and act on data across silos and

contributes to efficiency gains. It also helps anchor the Early
Childhood Development agenda politically, secures relationships
to external partners, and establishes a communication point for
civil society groups and city-to-city cooperation.

Idea
City INVOLVEMENT
 Social Services
 Parks
DATA
3DASHBOARDS EXISTING
IMPLEMENTATION
• Ontario, Canada
• New Zealand
LEVEL • Istanbul, Turkey
Cities typically have far more data on early childhood Tested and implemented • Bhubaneshwar, India
development than they know, spread throughout their
departments. A data dashboard can be a great starting point to
promote cross-sector collaboration.
We have not yet seen any dashboard with comprehensive data on

babies and toddlers, as they are usually a subsection of those
focusing on the general population. Dashboards would ideally be
able to overlay information about the location of young children
and pregnant women on top of data about: well-being of children
and caregivers; location and use of key services; location and use
of public space.

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COST MINIMUM SCALE GOVERNMENT

It fills public space with life, engages community members and

Photo: Courtesy of Cultureghem

Every place has its stories, so it also contributes to strengthening

Photo: Courtesy of Fundación Casa de la Infancia

Longitudinal studies have found that breastfeeding has a long-term

Photo: Courtesy of proyecto aUPA

A set of key messages and caregiving behaviours to promote can

To increase their effect, these messages can be strengthened

Photo: Courtesy of Che Aria Respiro

5PLAY STREETS EXISTING

Temporary closures are a step toward permanent solutions, which

These events increase parental perception of safety, reducing their

They can then be opened out of hours for the community,

These places tend to be trusted by caregivers and opening them

Photo: Eleazar Cuadros/Bernard van Leer Foundation

It is also a medium to improve social and emotional bonding

Creating storytelling activities for young kids reinforces the idea

Photo: Jon Spaull/Bernard van Leer Foundation

8FOR PLAY EXISTING

Use behavioural prompts and design to encourage play during the

In some contexts, negative parental behaviours towards outdoor

Photo: Eleazar Cuadros/Bernard van Leer Foundation

This gives babies and toddlers access to nature, creates a stronger

Exposure to nature on a regular basis has a positive impact on

Photo: Vanessa Touzard/Bernard van Leer Foundation

When done with a communications component, this initiative

Photo: Peter de Ruiter/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Park design that integrates play or playground design based on

Rolling hills in a park can provide play opportunities without

Photo: Courtesy of Think Playgrounds

Targeted interventions around the places where pregnant women,

Photo: Oded Antman/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Free play happens when children are not under parental

Playworkers are available to assist a child if needed, but strive to

Photo: Eleazar Cuadros/Bernard van Leer Foundation

For example, adding colours increases awareness of the presence

Photo: Courtesy of Liga Peatonal

The price of public transport acts as a barrier to mobility for

One result is reduced access to healthcare, leading to fewer

Photo: Oded Antman/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Implementing a children route may lead to a public space being

Photo: Courtesy of Fundación Casa de la Infancia

Turning a bus stop into a learning experience can be done via

Thinking multimodal transit for young children and their

Photo: Vanessa Touzard/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Finally, by ensuring a walkable connection between the places

Photo: Courtesy of @petemilnes

It also reduces their exposure to air pollution and frees up public

Photo: Vanessa Touzard/Bernard van Leer Foundation

7BIKE LANES EXISTING

They have a strong impact on reducing stress levels for caregivers

Photo: Oded Antman/Bernard van Leer Foundation

In already urbanised areas where building new facilities may be

This notion of proximity is especially relevant to reducing travel

Photo: Courtesy of proyecto aUPA

It also sends a political message of commitment from the local

Photo: Vanessa Touzard/Bernard van Leer Foundation

Applying community solidarity – or the principles of the sharing