Good dental health is essential to a child’s general health and well-being. This article addresses several aspects of child oral health from birth to around the time they enter school. More specifically this article will review the stages of normal dental development, dental decay and how to prevent it and some of the common non-nutritive...

What happens to children in the early years has consequences right through the course of their lives. There are many opportunities to intervene and make a difference to the lives of children and young people. The evidence shows the most effective time to intervene is early childhood, including the antenatal period. This Policy Brief explores...

The quality of children’s services has a profound influence on children’s development throughout the life course. This policy brief will highlight the powerful influence that the interaction between regulation, accreditation and curricula has on the quality of children’s services.

Body Mass Index (BMI) has been used for many years with adults to assess overweight and obesity. However, overweight and obesity is not only a problem for adults. An estimated 20-25% of children and adolescents in Australia are overweight and a quarter of this group are obese. Being overweight or obese has a negative impact...

The carefree exuberance associated with young children can make the concept of childhood depression difficult to imagine. It is not surprising then that the existence of mood disorders in children has gained acceptance only in the last few decades. While debate continues regarding conceptualisations of childhood depression, evidence from over 20 years of research suggests...