Publications & Reports

Browse editions of our journal, Early Childhood Matters, and our Early Childhood in Focus series, along with other selected publications and reports. All are free to download or read online.

Efforts to support the extension of birth leave in the Netherlands

This case study details how the partnership between Bernard van Leer Foundation, Rutgers and WOMEN Inc. aligned perspectives on children’s needs, men’s needs and women’s needs to support policy change on paid birth leave in the Netherlands. Read more

Annual Report 2019

annual_report_2019_cover

The Bernard van Leer Foundation’s 2019 Annual Report is now available online. For the first time, the Annual Report 2019 also contains an overview in Arabic, Dutch, French, Hebrew, Portuguese,… Read more

Turkish Nutrition Guide for Pregnant Women, Newborns and Babies

In this seven-part Nutrition Guide for Pregnant Women, Newborns and Babies, chef Seda Sümer and expert nutritionists Beyhan Göksan Bulgurlu and Muge Safak share practical, low-cost recipes and advice for healthy eating. Read more

Criança Feliz: Brazil’s ambitious early childhood programme

In October 2016, Brazil launched one of the most ambitious home visiting programmes in the world, Criança Feliz (“Happy Child”). This multimedia case study looks at the challenges of launching… Read more

Young Children and Families in Crisis and Displacement: Selected Articles from our Early Childhood Matters publication

View our Early Childhood Matters publications from 2009–2019 on our Early Childhood Matters microsite. This is a collection of articles specifically dedicated to young children and families affected by crisis… Read more

Emerging Early Childhood Inequality: Poverty and Future Academic Achievement

Emerging Early Childhood Inequality: Poverty and Future Academic Achievement - Research Report

Economic inequality in Israel is among the highest in the OECD countries, and there are also high levels of inequality in educational outcomes. In this research paper, Dana Vaknin, Professor… Read more

Reducing inequality by focusing on the very young: Boa Vista, Brazil, deepens its investment in early childhood development, 2009–2016

This case study explores how Boa Vista's efforts to prioritise early childhood development services as crucial for narrowing the gap between rich and poor stayed on track despite the challenge… Read more

City hall embraces early childhood development: reaching an underserved population in Tel Aviv, 2016-2019

Based on interviews conducted in May 2019, this case study explores why and how young children rose up the Tel Aviv municipal agenda. Read more

Governing from a child’s perspective: Recife, Brazil, works to become family friendly, 2017–2019

This case study explores how Recife's city departments were aligned, legislation passed and an existing public-private urban planning partnership engaged to pilot projects in two neighbourhoods. Read more

Reconstructing a city in the interests of its children: Tirana, Albania, 2015-2019

This case study explains how Erion Veliaj’s administration won public trust and found the budget to prioritize reforms for the Tirana's youngest residents, including building new parks, playgrounds, nurseries, schools… Read more