– By Vasudha Arabandi, National Initiatives and Communications Associate
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is celebrating Poshan Pakhwada from 8th April to 24th April. This is an initiative aimed at raising awareness and promoting action on maternal and child nutrition across the country. One of the main themes for this year’s Poshan Pakhwada is “The first 1000 days.” While education is important at all stages, the first 1,000 days—from conception to a child’s second birthday—are critical for development. This period is marked by maximum brain growth and maturation, making early cognitive and nutritional interventions far more valuable than later investments. By prioritising maternal and child nutrition during this crucial window, initiatives like Poshan Pakhwada contribute significantly to the well-being and future potential of India’s children.
By age two, the brain also reaches almost 80% of its adult weight – emphasising the importance of early development interventions. Synapse development peaks during this time, with synaptic density reaching adult levels by preschool age. The development of the frontal lobes, which are believed to control higher cognitive functions (including planning, sequencing and self-regulation), appear to occur in growth spurts during the first 2 years of life. A birth-cohort study in Vellore found that lack of early childhood interventions negatively impacts verbal performance and cognitive processing speed at age five and affects expressive language development before the age of two. The study also provides a solution – it makes the case that 18-24 months of structured early learning shows cognitive gains in the form of performance and verbal IQ gains of 4.8 points compared to those who did not attend structured ECE that persist at ages 5 and 9.
While later-in-life interventions are necessary and important, later-in-life investments in school infrastructure, teacher training and materials are unable to bridge the gap of lower learning potential that comes from early cognitive interventions.
With this in mind, the government has launched the Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi program, which aims to provide children under the age of 6 with adequate nutrition and cognition support to ensure that they are able to tap into their best chance of a bright future. There has also been an increase in the budget for nutrition cost norms to meet ICMR guidelines, under Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programme.
Additionally, the National Framework for Early Childhood Stimulation for Children from Birth to Three Years – Navchetana provides structured guidance in the form of simple activities for social and cognitive stimulation based on the age of the child. The framework offers 140 activities tailored to the child’s age, presented in a 36-month stimulation activity calendar. It is designed to be used by parents, caregivers and Anganwadi or creche workers, particularly during home visits. Well-conducted home visits can help children under 3 receive adequate timely nutrient-rich food and cognitive stimulation to support their holistic development and reduce the risk of developmental delays.
Though the army of almost 14 lakh Anganwadi centres and workers are at the frontlines of the battle to ensure that our children get adequate cognitive stimulation, specially in the first 1000 days, more needs to be done. What is lost in the early years for children can never be regained. Which is why we need to ensure that Anganwadi Workers are able to enhance their coverage, leverage new technologies and are provided with the support needed to ensure that the 1000 day window is met.
Imagine you have a flight at 2 p.m. Considering the distance, traffic, and check-in time, if you don’t leave by 12 p.m., you’ll likely miss it. The period between 12 and 1 p.m. is your critical window to make sure you catch your flight. Similarly for a child, that critical window is the first 1000 days of life — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lay the foundation for future success!