From Small Moments to Big Change: Reflections from the Early Childhood Leadership Program

What if the most important investment in Brazil’s future lies not in massive infrastructure or sweeping reforms, but in the simple moments of care and connection between young children and the adults around them? That was the challenge Professor Junlei Li posed to participants of the 12th Executive Leadership Program (ELP) on Early Childhood Development, held from June 2–6, 2025 at Harvard University under the leadership of Professors Marcia Castro, Andelot Professor of Demography, and Aisha Yousafzai, Professor of Child Development and Health, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

The program is one of the Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI) strategies to bridge early childhood science with society and policy in Brazil. The DRCLAS Brazil Office is a member of the NCPI coalition, alongside the Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal Foundation, the Van Leer Foundation, and Insper. 

"This edition represents a moment of maturity for the program, because it is the 12th edition. The group comes here with a higher level of knowledge about early childhood, with a more advanced engagement in early childhood, and that is very exciting, because with this maturity we are able to see refinements in policies,” observed Mariana Luz, CEO of the Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal Foundation. Indeed, the conversations went beyond introductions to early childhood concepts and toward complex challenges: the diversity of children’s realities across Brazil’s vast geography, the risks posed by high rates of violence, the critical link between early experiences and lifelong mental health, and the urgent need to integrate fragmented data across ministries.

The week featured presentations by 8 Harvard faculty members and 4 additional invited speakers. It underscored the power of both global and local perspectives. Insights from India, China, Colombia, the United States, and Brazil enriched discussions and revealed both universal principles and locally specific solutions. Among the highlights was Li’s 'Simple Interactions' framework, which reminded participants that the true foundation of quality lies in human connection. The message resonated deeply with participants who hail from across a country where inequities in resources are a daily reality.

But the program was not only about ideas. Each participant left Harvard with a group and an outline for an action plan. The actions plans are now being refined through an online module that includes additional frameworks to facilitate action plan implementation. The group will gather again at Insper in São Paulo from October 30–31,2025 to workshop their action plans and share next steps. 

Marcia Castro applauded the advances made by one group that was focused on data: "One of the things that I'm very happy about with this year's edition is that, for the first time, we have a group dedicated to the issue of data. We have a Working Paper from the NCPI exactly on this, how we need to use data to generate evidence and develop public policies, and this edition is consolidating this need, with a very strong group thinking about the data."

Senator Eliziane Gama captured the spirit of this bridge between reflection and action: “I think we leave here with a fundamental contribution to the Brazilian parliament, in the sense of creating new laws and improving those we already have.”

After twelve editions, the ELP has grown into a space where science, policy, and lived experience meet. Its evolution mirrors the trajectory of Brazil’s early childhood agenda itself, moving from awareness to maturity, from aspiration to refinement. And through it all, one principle remains at the heart: the future is built not only through laws or systems, but through the simple, everyday interactions that can give every child the chance to thrive.