The project

The First 1000 Days in the Nordic Countries is a three-year collaborative project that focuses on the mental well-being of infants, toddlers and their parents from pregnancy until two years of age. It is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and was launched by the Icelandic presidency in the Nordic Council in 2019.

The project is managed by the Directorate of Health in Iceland with partners from the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health East and South (RBUP Øst og Sør) in Norway, the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen), the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten), and the Itla Children’s Foundation and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in Finland.

The project has delivered an extensive situation analysis where information was gathered from across the Nordic countries on practices to support wellbeing and identify risk factors among young children and their families within prenatal care, infant and child healthcare and early childhood education and care (ECEC). It has also delivered a scientific review of the evidence-base for interventions and assessment instruments for children and parents during the early years in the Nordic countries. As a final deliverable, the project offers policy recommendations for the Nordic governments on how to best support children‘s wellbeing during this critical period in their lives so that all children born in the Nordic countries will receive the best possible start in life. The foundation for a prosperous society is laid by strengthening the foundations of a healthy childhood.