Flourishing Children, Healthy Communities and a Stronger Nation, the U.S. Early Years Climate Action Plan
Key Messages
Climate change is already impacting children and families now: More than 33 million children across the country are aged 8 and younger. They are already experiencing the impacts of climate disruption, such as the wildfire smoke and excessive heat that have driven children indoors, or the historic flooding that has damaged homes, child care programs, and pediatric health clinics.
Climate change is intensifying. That makes it harder to provide the nurturing places and experiences that help young children grow into resilient adults.
Climate change is not a separate issue, it is the context we are all living in today. It is the surrounding context for all aspects of early childhood development and for every child- and family-serving system. Our social and environmental challenges are one.
Flourishing Children, Healthy Communities and a Stronger Nation, The U.S. Early Years Climate Action Plan outlines the impacts of climate change on young children, prenatal to age 8, and the solutions we can all advance across society to support them.
The Action Plan recommends ways that federal, state, and local policymakers, as well as early years providers, philanthropic funders, business leaders, and researchers can support children and their families, child- and family-programs, and local communities in a changing climate.
The Action Plan was developed by The U.S. Early Years Climate Action Task Force, a group of 20 early years leaders, climate leaders, researchers, medical professionals, parents, philanthropists and others who came together over a year to learn about the impacts of climate change on young children. The co-chairs have been Antwanye Ford, the President and CEO of Enlightened, Inc. and Chair of the District of Columbia Workforce Investment Council, and Diana Rauner, Ph.D., the President of Start Early and the Former First Lady of Illinois.
The Task Force heard from people across the U.S. – child care providers, government officials, pediatricians, parents and others. They told stories of health clinics shutting down when their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems were overwhelmed; of child care providers organizing disaster response despite hurricane damage to their facilities; of young children who have asthma after wildfires and heat stroke from record-breaking heat waves. They also heard stories of inspiration: cities around the world monitoring air quality where children congregate and reimagining outdoor spaces; parents rallying to fight for a healthier and more sustainable planet for their children.
As the Action Plan shows, ensuring child-centered action on climate change can create cleaner air and water, more green space and shade, healthier buildings, communities better prepared for extreme weather events, and much more: all benefits that ripple out far beyond the individual child and family.