Facts about Child Development and Early Learning- Physical, mental, emotional, social, and educational development all occur as children grow and develop. Child development refers to the way a child develops physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.
- Early childhood is fundamentally important to a child's development. In the classroom, in the family and community, and in everyday life, they lay the foundation for future health, happiness, growth, development, and learning achievement for children.
- The first three years of a child's life are crucial in shaping the child's brain architecture, and recent research confirms that the first five years are particularly crucial. An individual's early experiences lay the groundwork for their brain's organizational and functional development throughout their lives. Children's social, emotional, and learning skills are directly affected by them.
- Early childhood is the most important time in a child's life for learning. Developing a sense of security and trust in them as they grow is dependent on the love and nurturing.
- As well to nutritious meals and good health care, babies and young children grow and learn rapidly when they are loved, cared for, and encouraged.
- Parents can support their children as they grow and develop by understanding the stages of child development.
- A variety of early childhood programs help parents and their children transition from home to school from birth to age eight.
- It is a fundamental right of all children to be raised in families, receive quality health care, good nutrition, education, and play, and be protected from harm, abuse, and discrimination. In order to achieve their full potential in life, children must grow up in an environment that allows them to do so.
- Communities, civil society, governments, parents, caregivers, and family members have a duty to respect, protect and fulfill these rights.
Child Protection- Every child has the right to be protected. Their rights include survival, safety, belonging, being heard, receiving adequate care, and growing up in a protective environment.
- Children are best protected by their families. It is the parents' or other caregivers' responsibility to create a loving and protective environment for their children. Children's safety and well-being are dependent on the safety and well-being of schools, communities, and the environment outside their homes. Children should be fully protected in their families, schools, and communities so they can survive, grow, learn, and develop to their full potential.
- Unprotected children number in the millions. Violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, exclusion, and/or discrimination plague many of them on a daily basis. They may not be able to live, grow, develop, and pursue their dreams because of such violations.
- The home is one of the many places where children can be exposed to violations. However, it is difficult to estimate exactly how many children experience violations at home.
Immunization- The vaccines that are readily available for children are capable of preventing a lot of childhood diseases.
- A variety of infectious diseases are common in the world today. These include measles, Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), yellow fever, polio, and hepatitis B. The development of several new vaccines has provided protection against rotavirus-induced diarrhea and other diseases such as pneumonia. These diseases can often cause death or severe disabilities in children who are not immunized. Immunization is the best protection for children.
- The entire family must be immunized. Protection should begin at an early age. It is especially important to vaccinate the baby in the first and second years of life. To protect themselves and their newborns, it is also imperative that pregnant women received tetanus vaccinations.
- Despite advances in immunizing children in recent years, nearly 19,4 million children remained unvaccinated in 2015.
- A parent or other caregiver needs to know why immunization is important, when to immunize their children, and where to get the shots.
- When a child has a minor illness or disability or is malnourished, parents or other caregivers need to know that immunizations are safe.
Coughs, colds, and illnesses- Getting sick with a cold, cough, sore throat, and runny nose is a fairly common experience for children. Usually, it is nothing to be concerned about.
- The presence of a cough can indicate more serious health problems, including pneumonia or tuberculosis.
- Children under the age of 5 are most likely to die from pneumonia and diarrhea, respectively. Each year, there are approximately 2 million pneumonia cases in children. A child's death by pneumonia equals that of an AIDS patient, a malaria patient, and a measles patient combined. This respiratory infection is the cause of one in five deaths in children under 5 years old.
- To ensure that respiratory infections and other illnesses are accurately diagnosed and treated before they become life-threatening, all girls and boys have the right to quality health care.
Some facts about Diarrhea- Young children are most likely to die from diarrhea after pneumonia. Diarrhea affects 4 billion children under the age of 5 annually, according to estimates. Approximately 1.5 million children under 5 die every year from this illness, which accounts for 17 percent of all deaths in children under 5 years of age. The more quickly children become dehydrated and malnourished, the more likely they are to die of diarrhea.
- Diarrhea is caused by swallowed germs, particularly those found in feces. Typically, this occurs when feces are not properly disposed of, hygiene is poor, and children are not breastfed.
- A child who receives all his or her immunizations on time and is exclusively breastfed in their first six months is less likely to get diarrhea. When a child has diarrhea, fluids and food should be given along with oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc to help ease the discomfort.
- NGOs and governments, together with communities, can do a great deal to raise awareness about the causes of diarrhea, reasons to treat it as soon as it starts, and ways to avoid the conditions that cause it.
- Everyone can contribute to reducing diarrhea, which will improve children's health and development, as well as their right to live and survive.
Health campaigns
Anemia Mukt Bharat campaign- AIM-I+ is an initiative to intensify the existing mechanisms for fighting anemia as well as to develop newer strategies for tackling it.
In order to achieve the envisaged target under the POSHAN Abhiyan, it focuses on six target beneficiary groups via six interventions and six institutional mechanisms. Based on the goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan and the National Nutrition Strategy, Anemia Mukt Bharat aims at reducing the prevalence of anemia by three percentage points per year between the years 2018 and 2022 among children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age (15-49 years old).
Leprosy Case Detection Campaign- Under the National Leprosy Control Programme (NLEP), the Leprosy Case Detection Campaign is a unique initiative. It is intended that the campaign leads to the early detection of leprosy in affected people so that they can be provided with timely treatment and thus be saved from physical disability and deformity, as well as halting the transmission of disease at the community level.
The search team consists of one male and one female volunteer who will examine each and every member of the targeted population. A search team will perform house-to-house visits in accordance with the micro plan prepared for the local area to identify hidden or undetected leprosy cases.
Campaign for Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination - Together with ten other WHO southeast Asia member countries, India is committing to eliminating measles by 2020, as well as controlling rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The government has initiated a national campaign in a phased manner to vaccinate children in the age range of 9 months to less than 15 years against measles-rubella (MR). About 41 crore children will be covered by the campaign.
Campaigns to reduce measles and rubella/CRS-related illnesses and deaths in the country are part of a global effort. Combining measles vaccination with rubella vaccine will prevent rubella and prevent CRS. Measles immunization directly contributes to a reduction in the mortality rate of children under five.
Mother's Absolute Affection campaign- 'Mother's Absolute Affection' is a national program of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare aimed at providing health care systems with counseling resources to support breastfeeding. Maternity Assistance for All is designed to signify the support that lactating mothers need from their families and from health facilities to successfully breastfeed.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan campaign- Pregnancies are special, and expectant mothers should receive special care. It is impossible to predict when a pregnant woman will develop life-threatening complications, so they should have access to quality antenatal care to detect and prevent these serious outcomes.
If risk factors are detected early during pregnancy and childbirth, five preventable causes can be prevented. Women who are pregnant cannot achieve this goal unless they access the entire range of needed services.
