Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Jill Biden have co-written an article on early childhood education.
The 39-year-old royal and the 70-year-old First Lady of the United States have met in the UK this week and discussed their ideas on nurturing young children.
They wrote in an opinion piece for CNN: “We both believe that part of this vision for the future must include a fundamental shift in how our countries approach the earliest years of life. If we care about how children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and physical health, then we have to care about how we are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the early years before school.”
The pair also spoke about the importance of nurturing parents, guardians and caregivers.
They said: “We can all do our part by valuing the role of mothers, fathers and caregivers. If we want strong economies and strong societies, we need to make sure that those raising and caring for children get the support they need.
“We can all make sure that the parents in our lives — the young couple who lives next door, the single mother or father we work with or the brother or sister raising their first child — feel valued, supported, and cared for. We also need to value those who work with babies and young children; they play an essential part in the future of our communities.
“As we look to a post-pandemic future, there are few issues more worthy of our attention than the transformative power of early childhood care and education for our communities and nations. We look forward to championing this work in the years to come.”