The foundation of the Proximity of Care Design Guide is a Framework, developed through intensive research, that enables the holistic consideration of the city systems and their relationship and influence on early childhood development.
Click the framework below to learn about the Dimensions
Support
This dimension considers factors that contribute to a supportive early childhood environment, looking at how to enhance knowledge and support from city authorities, urban and early child development practitioners and community members. Giving children, caregivers and parents a voice in community decision-making and planning is also an important part of this dimension.
The goals underlying this dimension are:
The economy and community supporting families
City leaders prioritising early childhood development
Family-friendly city planning and legislation
Data management and communications that are age and gender sensitive
Healthy & enriching environment
This dimension considers the factors that contribute to a good physical and mental health in the early years, examining how to improve health and development among young children, their caregivers, and pregnant women.
The goals to be achieved within the health dimension are:
Adequate WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), waste facilities and services, considering different needs, ages and gender, as well as economic and socio-cultural conditions and behaviours
Adequate healthcare facilities, services and practices, considering different needs, ages and gender, as well as economic and socio-cultural conditions and behaviours
Adequate and healthy nutrition, considering different needs, ages and gender, as well as economic and socio-cultural conditions and behaviours
This dimension considers factors that contribute to a safe and secure environment for young children and their caregivers, determining how to manage risks, mitigate hazards and increase safety and inclusivity. It also details how to improve the perception of safety and security that caregivers experience and behaviours that influence their caregiving practices.
The Goals to be achieved within the protection dimension are:
Safe and protective home, public buildings and spaces
A secure and inclusive network of child-friendly spaces and infrastructure
Improved resilience to climate-related risk factors
Improved safety and security mechanisms and policy measures
This dimension considers factors that contribute to a nurturing and playful childhood, addressing how to enhance the quality of children’s interaction with caregivers, peers, other community members, and exploration of the physical space in their home, neighbourhood and city.
The goals underlying this dimension are:
Nurturing and playful home environment
Age inclusive, playful and accessible network of diverse play spaces and equipment
Accessible, playful and responsive childcare environment
Young child and caregiver-friendly streets and transport
Across the dimensions and goals to achieve within them, the Proximity of Care Framework focuses on the needs of young children, caregivers and pregnant women at three scales of urban proximity and human interaction: the home environment, neighbourhood and wider city.
Child development is shaped by the experiences at each of these scales of proximity and interaction, so an approach that engages with all three scales simultaneously will have the greatest positive effect on childhood development.
The home environment is where the child lives and spends most of their time during the first years of life. It is a personal, intimate, and immediate space, where a young child should feel confident, be able to move freely and is likely to have the most support from and interaction with caregivers.
The physical space of the home refers to the house, flat, shelter or compound, any associated space such as a garden or yard, and immediate street frontage.
Relationships and interactions at the home level are intimate and ideally reciprocal, nurturing and supportive for the young child, involving parents, siblings, and extended family. Home is where family members share time together, do chores, learn or study, relax and rest, socialise with each other, prepare and eat food, and sometimes work. The space of home offers opportunities for practicing responsive care, and for promoting early learning, playing, talking, reading and singing. This scale is critical for the early years, and by establishing strong, stable and nurturing interactions and relationships, caregivers help children develop, explore and learn, while building resilience as a family.
The neighbourhood is where the child develops many spatial, motor, social, relational and communication skills while interacting with the community alongside a caregiver. It is a local, communal, public space, accessible from home.
The physical space of the neighbourhood includes play areas, nurseries, schools, community centres, stores, markets, health facilities, and places of worship. It also includes streets, local transport, and connections between these spaces.
Relationships and interactions within the neighbourhood are social, educational and commercial. Young children and their caregivers engage with neighbours, friends, peers or other children, merchants, service providers, community leaders and other adults. These interactions and relationships expose the child to new social connections that influence their understanding of the world and help them develop skills to relate to others. Caregivers’ relationships with these people strongly influence their wellbeing, with knock-on effects for the child.
The city is a distributed, institutional and administrative space, distant from the home and generally not accessible by walking. This level includes regulatory and governance policies which impact early childhood development. The attitudes and decisions of city leaders and organisations will have significant effects on opportunities for promoting early childhood development.
The physical space of the city includes infrastructure and public services provided at a city-wide level, workplace, health, leisure and economic centres or facilities outside of the immediate neighbourhood. The political and administrative centres and facilities that house city governance play a critical role in defining the policy and funding framework that helps shape a child’s experience of the city.
Relationships and interactions at the city level are primarily functional, involving staff running public services and city administrators. Children, caregivers, families and pregnant women may engage with politicians and decision makers. Their involvement in decision making processes would increase the visibility of their needs at the city level, and early child development could become a policy, funding and planning priority for city leaders and officials.
The Proximity of Care approach
There are ten principles to guide you as you put the Proximity of Care Design Guide into practice and which can help you consider the needs of young children, caregivers and pregnant women in your work.
They can be used at every stage of a project as a reference to check that the development of children remains at the heart of our approach. If you are new to a child-friendly approach to design and planning, understanding and following these principles is a place to start.