FTD month
every child: fearfully and wonderfully made
The First Thousand Days of a child’s life, from conception until they turn two years old, is a critically sensitive period of rapid growth and change. A window of development to set the foundation for a child to reach his or her potential.
To give the brain the best opportunity to develop well, it needs the following five things on an ongoing basis: Adequate nutrition, good health, a sense of safety, opportunities for early learning and responsive, nurturing care. These are the essential ‘building blocks’ for brain development.
you have a voice!
We know that you want the best for children in your church and community. For this to happen, parents need to be supported in community: it takes a village to raise a child. But the challenge is that many people don’t know about the first thousand days and what they can do to strengthen families.
By raising awareness in your church and community, you will reach people who can be part of supporting parents. You can get your whole community on board and find new volunteers to serve parents. You will help parents feel seen and understood, and embraced by your church.
This year, between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, you can use your existing church practices to speak up about the first thousand days. By using your voice, you can stand up for young children and see a brighter future for children and families in your church and community.
This year’s theme is from Psalm 139: every child is fearfully and wonderfully made. God is involved with young life, from the very beginning! His great love for all children shapes his followers to show that love to children, too. As you raise your voice around the value of young children, there will be a growing movement of people who join hands for a brighter future for our nation’s children.
How does it work?
Between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day (11 May to 15 June), you do something to raise awareness in your congregation about the first thousand days. You choose how much you want to do! You could do something in your existing church meetings or add to what you are doing. You know your church and context best.
We have created tools and resources that you can use. We have sermon guides, prayer pointers that you can send to your congregation, posters, guides for moments in a Sunday meeting, things you can send to parents and so on. You can use them just as they are or adapt them to work best in your church context.
Do you want to be part of this campaign?
Stories and quotes
In this FTD month I am going to revive my church on FTD.
I am going to definitely introduce this FTD information to my church. The resources are absolutely amazing.
We’re going to use the baby dedication and posters for reach out.
We must introduce the FTD to everyone! If the community can grab this to understand FTD of a child that it is very important, we will have a better place and I think and it will also reduce the number of children who did not develop well.
