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A playful and lively character, who gives tips via WhatsApp about the affective bond during early childhood and its importance for cognitive and emotional development. This is "Nenê do Zap", created by the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation and which has been increasingly approaching families that, during the pandemic, are having to deal with the closing of schools and daycare centers and the lack of a network of support. This is the background where the Foundation and UNESCO in Brazil organized a virtual chat yesterday (6) to discuss experiences, share advice, and encourage participants to understand Early Childhood as a special period.

The Director and Representative of UNESCO in Brazil, Marlova Noleto, participated in the meeting; the CEO of the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation, Mariana Luz; the pediatrician and associate professor at the USP Medical School, Dr. Ana Escobar; the psychologist, Fernanda Lopes; in addition to actors Bruno Gagliasso and Dira Paes, who shared their experiences on how the pandemic has been changing their routines and interactions with their children.

During the chat, Dr. Ana Escobar gave tips on how families should take care of children during the pandemic and explained that the child's brain architecture is formed in the first two years of life. “Babies over two years old must wear a mask to protect themselves, maintain social distance, always wash their hands. And for parents, advice. Take advantage of this time during quarantine to strengthen your relationship with your children. It is a golden opportunity ”.

Marlova Noleto spoke about the Organization's work with child development from the first years of life. “Early childhood is a unique moment. I am the daughter of a pediatrician, and he always encouraged me a lot to read, sing, talk. I believe that all the investment dedicated by fathers and mothers since pregnancy and from birth has a major role in our future”, she said.

According to Mariana Luz, it takes a positive interaction, created from stories, music, and conversations between parents and babies during this time of life, to change the world. “Evidence shows that most brain connections occur from birth to six years of age. There are about 1 million connections per second. This determines who that child will be in the future, not just for her, but for the family and the people around her”.

The virtual meeting was broadcast with interpretation in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and can be accessed on the on YouTube (only in Portuguese).