Abstract

In recent decades, new awareness has developed regarding the skills that children can develop and express from the earliest years of life. The spread of the phenomenon of poverty and the awareness of the impact of inequalities on the well-being of children and families has required greater attention on these issues from the scientific community. After an introduction on the development of children in the first thousand days, this paper, using an ecological approach, aims to extend the focus of the investigation to the role of parents and educational institutions as key elements in promoting well-being. The aim of the work is to deepen the study of the social determinants related to the first thousand days, through a review of national and international literature. Some key issues were identified such as: perinatal support, poverty, deprivation, and the social challenges faced by families, and the role of pre-school education.