Flexibility in childcare
This book is one of the main outputs from the PACE (Providing Access to Childcare and Employment) project. This European project tested new models of making childcare and employment more accessible for families living in vulnerable conditions, at distance from childcare and employment, including single parent families, families with a non-European background, a low education level and low income. When parents want to start an education, training or a route towards employment, they often have barriers to address, including health, housing, mobility and language barriers. Another main barrier for parents with young children is childcare. We have found that current childcare systems are not well-equipped to meet the needs of families who start a trajectory to employment.
Most early years settings expect regularity and continuity. It is difficult to find childcare at short notice, during brief periods or at non-standard hours. This lack of flexibility is a barrier that adds to existing structural barriers that lower access to childcare for vulnerable families. In PACE, 13 project partners in four countries examined what is needed to make childcare more flexible and at the same time create comfort for children, families and staff. The book ‘Flexibility in childcare’ explains why more flexibility in childcare is needed. It also looks into how a more flexible, holistic form of childcare can be organised, describing 5 prototypes. Finally, the book looks into what actions organisations can take to make flexible childcare sustainable on the business side, to assure pedagogical quality and a warm environment for the whole family, to support staff members and to cooperate with other stakeholders.
The book is available in three languages, open source. We believe that it can be a valuable resource for any policy makers, academics and early years providers and teams interested in working in a more holistic and flexible manner. The book contains a lot of background, context and theory, many concrete examples from the PACE project and hands-on advice on how to make a setting work more flexibly and holistically, including advice on the business side, working with families, teams and in collaboration with other services.
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Supporting families for nurturing care: Training resource package for home visiting practices
This training package equips trainers of home visiting professionals with essential knowledge, skills, and tools to deliver consistent, high-quality pre-service and in-service training.
Developed by UNICEF ECARO and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), it builds on almost ten years of collaboration and earlier home visiting modules (2017–2025). The goal is to strengthen home visiting as a key community health service supporting families from pregnancy to early childhood.
The package includes three guides: General Overview, Foundational Training, and Extended Training, each offering adaptable materials such as session plans, slides, and handouts based on nurturing and family-centered care.
It combines two main areas: (1) programmatic knowledge on child development, health, nutrition, and parental wellbeing, and (2) practical skills such as communication, relationship building, observation, problem-solving, and cultural responsiveness.
Grounded in adult learning principles, the training encourages reflection, peer learning, and practical application, fostering the professional growth of trainers and home visitors while improving the quality of home visiting services.
Trainer Guide: General Overview
Trainer Guide: Foundational Training
Trainer Guide: Extended Training
button[src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/694724257114b734f4bb749a/6985cff74ab2bbd98fabe605_SUPPORTING%20FAMILIES%20FOR%20NURTURING%20CARE%20Training%20Resource%20Package%20for%20Home%20Visiting%20Practices_0.pdf"][label="Download the Resource Package"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-Guide%201.General%20Overview-2.0.pdf"][label="Trainer Guide: General Overview"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-Guide%202.Foundational%20training-2.0.pdf"][label="Trainer Guide: Foundational Training"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT_2025_PowerPoints_Day_I%20-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT_2025_PowerPoints_Day_I%20-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20II-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20II-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20III-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20III-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20IV-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20IV-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20V-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-FT%202025_PowerPoints_Day%20V-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-Guide%203.Extended%20training-2.0.pdf"][label="Trainer Guide: Extended Training"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-ET%20Day%20I-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-ET%20Day%20I-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-ET_Day%20II%20merged-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-ET_Day%20II%20merge-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/eams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-ET_Day%20III%20merged-2.0.pptx"][label="PPT"] button[src="https://clearinghouse.unicef.org/sites/ch/files/ch/teams-ECARO-Planning-ECA%20Knowledge%20at%20UNICEF-ET_Day%20III%20merge-2.0.pdf"][label="PDF"]Published in:
2025
Organization(s):
ISSA, UNICEF ECARO
Language:
Contact:
Ayca Alayli, aalayli@issa.nl
State of Southern European Fathers 2024: Building Evidence for Engaging Men in Nurturing Care in Italy, Portugal, and Spain
The State of Southern European Fathers 2024 report, developed under the EMiNC initiative, explores fathers’ involvement in caregiving across Italy, Portugal, and Spain. While many men report active participation in daily care, a significant perception gap remains: 74% of fathers believe caregiving is equally shared, but only 51% of mothers agree. The findings show that mothers still carry the greater caregiving and household burden, often at the expense of their well-being and professional opportunities. At the same time, the report highlights the vital role fathers play in children’s development—greater involvement is linked to stronger emotional bonds, improved learning outcomes, and better long-term well-being for children.
Yet barriers persist: rigid workplace cultures, limited access to paid leave, and lack of affordable, quality childcare constrain men’s ability to participate equally. The report calls for robust policy reforms—such as fully paid, non-transferable leave for fathers—and investments in early childhood services that actively engage men. Public campaigns and local peer support networks are also essential to shift norms and expectations. Promoting men’s caregiving is not only a matter of gender equality, it is a key strategy to ensure all children thrive from the very start.
The report, developed under the EMiNC initiative, explores fathers’ involvement in caregiving across Italy, Portugal, and Spain. While many men report active participation in daily care, a significant perception gap remains: 74% of fathers believe caregiving is equally shared, but only 51% of mothers agree. The findings show that mothers still carry the greater caregiving and household burden, often at the expense of their well-being and professional opportunities. At the same time, the report highlights the vital role fathers play in children’s development—greater involvement is linked to stronger emotional bonds, improved learning outcomes, and better long-term well-being for children.Yet barriers persist: rigid workplace cultures, limited access to paid leave, and lack of affordable, quality childcare constrain men’s ability to participate equally. The report calls for robust policy reforms—such as fully paid, non-transferable leave for fathers—and investments in early childhood services that actively engage men. Public campaigns and local peer support networks are also essential to shift norms and expectations. Promoting men’s caregiving is not only a matter of gender equality, it is a key strategy to ensure all children thrive from the very start.
Published in:
2025
Organization(s):
ISSA
Language:
Module 3: Nutrition for Infants and Young Children
The Module 3 ‘Nutrition for Infants and Young Children’ is intended to support home visitors and other health professionals in providing advice and support to parents and families on infant and young child nutrition. It includes three modules:
Module 3b: ‘Introducing Complementary Foods’
Module 3c: ‘Nutrition of Children Aged 2-6 Years’
You can access the whole package here.
button[src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/694724257114b734f4bb749a/6985cf735eb0b715b71d6271_3a.Nutrition-BreastfeedingNEWBORN-ENG-WEB.pdf"][label="Download 3a. Breastfeeding"] button[src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/694724257114b734f4bb749a/6985cf743139d7275e743a0a_3b.Nutrition-InfantYoungChild-ENG-WEB.pdf"][label="Download 3b. Introducing Complementary Foods"] button[src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/694724257114b734f4bb749a/6985cf766ca73e3f96db4776_3c.Nutrition-YoungChild2-6-ENG.pdf"][label="Download 3c. Nutrition of Children Aged 2-6 Years"]
Published in:
2025
Organization(s):
UNICEF ECARO & ISSA