I worked in four countries—Australia, India, Quebec, and France—and through OECD research and international comparisons, I came to understand the gaps in early childhood support in France and why our country has underinvested in this area. In France, 77% of parents report having difficulties managing their children’s behavior, and 75% of early childhood professionals feel helpless when it comes to children’s social-emotional development, a sensitive topic that can challenge parents and lead to inappropriate responses.

Our nonprofit organization, Ensemble pour la Petite Enfance, aims to address these gaps using international scientific resources. We’ve built partnerships with leading universities such as Harvard, Montreal, Oslo, Wollongong (Australia), and French institutions like Paris Cité Descartes and Bordeaux Population Health. Our goal is to support parents and professionals in adjusting their approaches based on up-to-date scientific knowledge.

Neuroscience was the foundation of our work, and evaluation became the second pillar, enabling us to assess how science-based methods can transform practices. We adopt an ecosystemic approach, collaborating with stakeholders from business, child protection, early childhood, perinatal care, and preschools, sectors that are still quite siloed in France.

Another key lever is advocacy. We are members of the UNESCO coalition, follow OECD initiatives, and are recognized by the European Commission as one of the key players implementing high social and human-impact programs for children’s development. This advocacy work is essential to help draft legislation that addresses inequality from the earliest stages of life.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated social-emotional skills as 21st-century skills. They are essential for social cohesion and form the foundation of overall development. These skills begin to form very early on in the third trimester of pregnancy, when interactions between the fetus and the mother strengthen neural connections and "sculpt" the baby’s brain. From this period onward, the brain forms and reinforces connections through experience, primarily via the five senses, the first being touch, even in utero.
The mother's emotions cross the placental barrier and impact the baby’s brain. The overall environment surrounding the mother, her diet, sleep, and quality of social relationships, directly influences the brain development of the unborn baby. Hormone production is affected, and the baby’s brain begins preparing to welcome life.

Brain imaging is incredibly revealing: when a baby lacks empathy, affection, or kindness, certain brain areas remain inactive. What most nurtures development from the third trimester onward is the quality of the bond formed with the mother. A supportive environment prevents isolation and protects the mother’s mental and relational health so she can focus on giving life.
The fetus is sensitive to maternal prosody—the melody of the mother’s voice, her tone, and her intention. Neither the fetus nor the newborn understands the meaning of words, but they are deeply responsive to prosody. When a newborn is welcomed with skin-to-skin contact, they reconnect with the sensations experienced in utero: heartbeat, body warmth.
At the maternity hospital in Roubaix, a pilot project is replacing incubators for premature babies with skin-to-skin bonding networks involving the baby’s family. Though the study is ongoing, early results are remarkable: human contact has a significant impact on newborn development. Nature is truly extraordinary.

The human baby is the most immature being at birth among all species, entirely dependent on their environment—primarily parents, who form the child’s “sensory niche” : the emotional and sensory cocoon that supports development. Scientific literature is unanimous: while the mother is a primary figure, fathers and extended caregivers are just as essential.
Neuropsychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik* speaks of 6 to 8 trusted individuals surrounding a mother to help raise a child. The quality of these bonds—what we call attachment—is crucial: it creates emotional security, which is the foundation of emotional balance and overall development.
Attachment takes about 9 months to form and, according to Dr. Cyrulnik, it is the key marker of resilience throughout life. As the child grows, they will experience intense emotions. A child doesn't just feel emotions—they are those emotions. A joyful child is joy. An angry child is anger, inconsolable. Why? Because the prefrontal cortex, responsible for regulating emotions, is not yet connected to the limbic system, which processes emotions.
With time, and thanks to experience—and the unconditional support of emotionally attuned adults—children gradually learn to regulate their emotions. This takes repetition, closeness, focused attention, and secure attachment. This is the foundation of what we call executive function development. That’s why it is vital to act early to combat social inequalities: 85% of the human brain develops in the first five years of life.

It depends on each child and their daily emotional experiences. However, there are two major protective factors.
The first is the human environment? safety and the presence of trusted caregivers. This is why France must continue to improve maternity and paternity leave. A baby who bonds with a secure attachment figure will relate more easily to others and explore the world, preparing to take their place in society.
We know we can’t grow alone? we need collective intelligence and cooperation to build the world of tomorrow. When a child builds fulfilling relationships, they develop the social skills that underpin cognitive, sensory, and motor development.

Each child’s emotional development is unique. From birth, the child has already experienced life in utero. Attachment forms, social skills slowly emerge, and daily experiences help develop their full potential.

Emotional regulation is much easier to learn when children have daily contact with nature, which is the second key protective factor. The sensory environment offered in early childcare settings—especially in the first months—is critical. Babies learn through their five senses, which naturally evoke emotions.

The child's brain is exceptionally malleable—especially in the first 1,000 days. Imagine: 700 to 1,000 new neural connections form every second in a baby’s brain! A baby who touches a blade of wet grass, feels tree bark, senses the wind, or watches ducks dive in a lake is providing their brain with far richer information than one surrounded by plastic in a closed space.

In Norway and Quebec, children spend an average of 70% of their time outdoors—some babies even sleep outside in -25°C wind chill! Studies show they enjoy better health and stronger cooperation skills.

To support a child’s psychosocial development, we must start with ourselves—develop our capacity for mentalization, or reflecting on our own behaviors. We need to become aware of our inherited parenting reflexes and learn new approaches, because science is constantly evolving.
In France, we are very control oriented. I too grew up in a culture of injunctions, and my first instinct with my own children was to say “No, don’t do this, don’t do that.” Working in Australia opened my eyes to a different way of guiding children toward self-regulation.
It takes about three generations to change behavior. It’s not easy—our brains are shaped 50% by genetics and 50% by environment. Change takes time and experience. But our brains remain flexible at every age—we are lifelong learners.
There are three main levers to support this change:

1. Peer support, such as parent or professional groups sharing common concerns.
2. Kind, horizontal guidance from a professional.
3. Time, ideally 8–9 months, to unlearn old reflexes and build new ones.
   In Australia, over 80% of parents join support groups after childbirth. In France, it’s rare, which is why we’re developing the Maison des 1,000 Premiers Jours® initiative—free resource centers for parents and professionals, with facilitated peer groups. Early impact assessments are very promising.

Accompagne-moi…! is the first action research project in France dedicated to promoting social health. It’s based on a program developed in collaboration with the Quebec Ministry of Families, which was the subject of a 30-year-long longitudinal study.

One major finding: at around 17 months, children in group care often show a peak in aggressive or disruptive behaviors—biting, screaming, and so on. This is not surprising, as children at that age aren’t developmentally prepared for such intense emotional interactions in group settings.

Without tailored emotional support, these children later show difficulties integrating into society, entering the workforce, maintaining jobs, and may become more prone to addiction.

To act upstream, we worked with partners at the University of Montreal to adapt an approach focused on cooperation and social interaction, closely involving professionals in perinatal care, early childhood, and preschool.This led to a system for the continuous improvement of educational practices, aiming to strengthen children’s psychosocial skills from the earliest age. This system, called Pilou et Filou, relies on two key levers

1. Children’s natural capacity for empathy and cooperation.

2. Strengthening executive functions, essential for entering preschool and beginning to learn.

With Pilou et Filou, we sow the seeds of social connection in early childhood, so every child can grow up with confidence, in relationship with others… and build a peaceful future.