Early Childhood Development is crucial to creating opportunities for children and to shaping the prospects of society as a whole The Bernard van Leer Foundation, established in 1949, is based in the Netherlands. We actively engage in supporting early childhood development activities in around 40 countries. Our income is derived from the bequest of Bernard van Leer, a Dutch industrialist and philanthropist, who lived from 1883 to 1958. Our vision is of a world that respects the rights, dignity and equality of children, their families and communities; a world that enables young children to develop their innate potential to the full. Our mission is to improve opportunities for vulnerable children younger than eight years old, growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances. Our experience, and that of our partners, supports our conviction that families are, in principle, children’s first and best carers and teachers. Children are part of a community and a wider social environment. Each culture has a rich heritage to share and invaluable resources to pass on to its children.
Building on people’s strengths is a guiding principle in our work. We therefore promote the development of local capacity, local ownership and working in partnership. We take a holistic approach to young children’s development, addressing a range of issues that include education, health, and nutrition. The Foundation also endeavours to strengthen the circles of support around each child as well as advocating for young children’s rights and for their voices to be heard.
Programme development and grantmaking The Bernard van Leer Foundation currently supports about 150 major projects for young children in both developing and industrialised countries. These projects operate in a variety of contexts, with a rich diversity of approaches. Our funding is guided by geographical priorities, but we also focus on specific themes. Projects are implemented by local actors which may be public, private or community-based organisations.
Among the groups of disadvantaged children we try to reach, special attention is given to: • children growing up in diverse and multicultural societies; • indigenous children; • migrant, refugee or internally displaced children; • children of single or teenage parents; • children in conflict or disaster-stricken areas; • children affected by hiv/aids.
We fulfil our mission through two interdependent strategies: •
Making grants and supporting programmes for culturally and contextually appropriate approaches to early childhood development;
•
Sharing knowledge and expertise in early childhood development, with the aim of informing and influencing policy and practice.
The projects we support seek to improve the quality of care and education for young children, by, for instance: • focusing on the home environment and the community; • seeking to enhance parenting skills; • upgrading the quality of early childhood development programming; • engaging in public education and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable children.
For information on our funding principles and criteria, please refer to our website: www.bernardvanleer.org We also have available a separate information sheet on funding.