The Healthy Childhood Research Group

Why a Health Promoting Early Childhood Program?

Community cohesion (increased linkages between individuals, services and agencies within communities) has been identified as a major determinant of health and well-being in children, families and communities. Support to families, especially during early years of parenting, are effective long term responses to many social and health problems.

Increasingly, early childhood settings are being recognised as entry points for addressing family and community issues. This has resulted in integrated children service delivery models in the United Kingdom, Canada, USA and elsewhere. In Australia research carried out by the Healthy Childhood Research Group* has shown that childcare settings are highly effective vehicles for providing support to families and for enhancing community cohesion.


What is the Health Promoting Early Childhood Program?

The health promoting early childhood program incorporates research and projects whose aim is to enhance the health and well-being of children and families in New South Wales and beyond.

The program has targeted early childhood services as the entry point for health promotion.

In Australia, about 60-70% of families with young children access some form of early childhood service for their 0-5 year old child.


Principles underlying the Health Promoting Early Childhood Program

The health promoting early childhood setting program situates itself within the wider frameworks of Primary Health Care and the Health for All movement of the World Health Organisation. These are characterised by the following approaches to service delivery:

Participation
Individuals are encouraged to participate in determining their own, individual pathways to health.

Equity
All individuals and groups have the right to equal access to the building blocks for good health and the right to live in healthy environments.

Intersectoral collaboration
The health and well-being of individuals and groups is impacted upon by a wide range of services and environmental factors beyond the health sector, including education, housing, employment and others.


Activities and outcomes of the Health Promoting Early Childhood Program

The program studies the particular health and well-being needs of families within their communities and researches effective ways to meet those needs. Methods include survey research, pilot studies and focus groups to develop and test strategies which are effective for each context.

See the Reports and Publications section.


About the Healthy Childhood Research Group

The Health Promoting Early Childhood Program is a project of the Healthy Childhood Research Group, situated within the Centre for Social Justice and Social Change at University of Western Sydney, Australia. This group provides research and consultation on health promotion, children’s services, community programs and related projects for young children and families.

For more information contact Dr Jacqueline Hayden, Director Healthy Childhood Research Group (j.hayden@uws.edu.au).