The First 1000 Days

Every child deserves a fair start in life, regardless of where their cradle stands. Yet one in six children in the Netherlands has a vulnerable start in life. The foundations for a healthy and happy life are laid during the period from twelve months before birth to two years afterwards. In Co/Lab: The First 1000 Days, a collaboration between Dutch Design Foundation and GGD Brabant, we are exploring how we can better connect with and support (expectant) families in vulnerable circumstances during these crucial first 1000 days.

The challenge

Healthy ageing begins well before pregnancy. Yet Youth Health Care (Dutch translation: Jeugdgezondheidszorg) has so far focused primarily on the period after birth, while families in vulnerable circumstances often struggle to find their way to existing care and support.

It is the GGD’s (which stands for: Municipal Health Service) responsibility to protect, monitor and promote public health, including youth health care. To increase equality of opportunity in Brabant, this Co/Lab turns the perspective around: parents and families are not approached as a ‘target group’ to be cared for, but as experts by experience with valuable knowledge, resilience and solutions of their own. From this perspective, the following question is central:

“How can we better reach and support (expectant) families in vulnerable circumstances during the first 1000 days of a new life?”

The design approach

In this Co/Lab, we are working with Martijn Engelbregt (artist and co-initiator of the artist collective Circus Andersom) and theatre-maker Rosanne Groenendijk. Together, they will use a design-led approach to explore new perspectives. They will do this by finding out what families really need, what challenges they face and what solutions they themselves envision. Not by talking about them, but by working together to create the conditions for a promising start in life.

During Dutch Design Week, the Co/Lab will be part of the Designing Society exhibition. At the exhibition an interactive installation will gather valuable insights from visitors. This input will help drive the further development of the programme. After DDW, the installation will travel to various municipalities across Brabant, where an in-depth values-based research process will be conducted with families, residents and local partners.

About GGD Brabant

This Co/Lab was initiated by DDF in collaboration with three Brabant GGD organisations (GGD West-Brabant, GGD Brabant-Zuidoost and GGD Hart voor Brabant) as part of the regional programme ‘Generatie Gezond Brabant’. Within this programme, the Brabant GGD organisations work together, pooling their knowledge, sharing costs and preventing fragmentation of care. Directors, staff, municipalities and residents are therefore working together towards one clear mission: to give every child equal opportunities to grow up healthy and safe.

The Co/Lab is part of the ‘Kansrijke Start ‘ action programme within Youth Health Care. This provides the framework within which the design project takes place. The aim? To jointly communicate the added value of a promising start in life to (potential) parents, Youth Health Care professionals and partners, with particular attention to the period before birth.