“Climate change is arguably the biggest threat to the earliest years of child development of this millennium.”
1 June 2022
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Capita and the Aspen Institute have announced the launch of the Early Years Climate Action Task Force. The Task Force will be co-chaired by Diana Rauner, former First Lady of Illinois and President of Start Early, and Antwanye Ford, President and CEO, Enlightened, Inc. and Chair, District of Columbia Workforce Investment Council.
The Task Force will draft the first ever Early Years Climate Action Plan for the US. Its recommendations will explore how the country can support young children, ages 0 to 8, to flourish despite facing the impacts of climate change. The Task Force will identify best practices for government, child-serving systems, businesses, not-for-profits, and philanthropy to mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate change as it relates to young children. It will also develop policy frameworks for implementation at all levels of government.
The Task Force will hold a series of listening sessions, highlighting the particular vulnerabilities of young children to climate change and opportunities for the early years sector to take action. It will hear from parents and guardians, children, caregivers, pediatric health care providers, subject matter experts, and grassroots advocates. The Task Force’s work will also highlight the experiences of Indigenous and Native communities, people of color, those on low-incomes, and those living in particularly climate-vulnerable communities.
“Climate change is arguably the biggest threat to the earliest years of child development of this millennium,” said Joe Waters, CEO of Capita. “It is imperiling our children’s health, security, and future. Climate change is already having long-term impacts on child health, development, and flourishing whether it be due to toxic stress or destruction of physical care environments. The Task Force brings together experts from across a range of disciplines and sectors, from early childhood education and pediatrics to child welfare organizations and the climate movement, all who have a stake in helping to create a better future for our youngest.”
“Young children have the most at stake in our fight against the climate crisis and every sector has a role to play in advancing climate solutions,” said Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “The early years sector is critical to building resilient systems where children can thrive, and it’s inspiring that the Early Years Climate Action Task Force will create a framework to galvanize this sector for action—helping to ensure a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable future for all.”
The Task Force will meet over the next year, with the Early Years Climate Action Plan due to be published in 2023. While its focus will predominantly be on the US, the objective is also to share recommendations that can be adapted by other countries and international organizations. The Task Force builds on the work of the Aspen Institute’s K12 Climate Action, which created an action plan for the K through 12 education sector to advance climate solutions.
The Early Years Climate Action Task Force Members:
Leah Austin, President & CEO, National Black Child Development Institute
Elizabeth Bechard, Senior Policy Analyst, Moms Clean Air Force & Author, Parenting in a Changing Climate
Claudia Benitez-Nelson, Associate Dean & Professor of Marine Studies, University of South Carolina & leader, Science Moms
Miriam Calderon, Chief Policy Officer, Zero To Three
Felicia DeHaney, Director of Program & Strategy, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Louis Finney, Jr., Board President, National Association of Family Child Care & CEO, Smart Start of Forsyth County (NC)
Antwanye Ford, President & CEO, Enlightened, Inc. & Chair, District of Columbia Workforce Investment Council
Barry Ford, President & CEO, Council for a Strong America
Lynette Fraga, CEO, Child Care Aware of America
Angie Garling, Vice President of Early Care & Education, Low Income Investment Fund
Andrew Garner, Professor of Pediatrics, Schubert Center for Child Studies, Case Western Reserve University
Walter Gilliam, Professor of Psychiatry & Psychology & Director, Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy, Yale University
Michelle Kang, CEO, National Association for the Education of Young Children
Kahlil Kettering, Bezos Earth Fund Project Director, The Nature Conservancy
Jennifer McClellan, State Senator, Commonwealth of Virginia (District 9)
Shantel Meek, Founding Director, The Children’s Equity Project, Arizona State University
Alicia Mousseau, Vice President, Oglala Sioux Tribe
Diana Rauner, President, Start Early & Former First Lady of Illinois
Melissa Rooker, Executive Director, Kansas Children’s Cabinet & Trust Fund, & former member, Kansas House of Representatives
Patricia Sullivan-Steward, Parent Leader, Darlington County (SC) First Steps
Derek Walker, Vice President of U.S. Climate, Environmental Defense Fund