Notre Dame Panel Explores Role of Catholic Church in Advancing Early Childhood Development for Vulnerable Children Worldwide
A panel of experts recently gathered at the University of Notre Dame to explore the university’s unique role in driving global change by integrating scientific knowledge with the wisdom of the Church. The event, Seeds of Compassion: Nurturing Early Childhood Development Globally in Catholic Communities, focused on strategies to strengthen Early Childhood Development programs globally for children in crisis, and how Catholic Social Teaching emphasizes the need to support marginalized children, with scientific insights informing the approaches to make that possible.
Hosted by the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC), this panel conversation featured professor and director of the GC-DWC, Neil Boothby, in conversation with Dr. Carrie Quinn—pediatrician and executive director of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center, and co-chair of the University of Notre Dame’s For Good Initiative—and Wendy Angst, professor and director of the Powerful Means Initiative and Impact Consulting Minor at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. The three panelists each work with children and their families in distinct vocational roles, yet their efforts are united by the principles of early childhood development and their alignment with Catholic social teaching. Moderated by Nicole McNeil, Sweeney Family Director of the Center for Educational Research and Action (ERA) and professor of psychology, the conversation focused on the first 1,000 days of life as a critical window for human development, and explored the innovative work being done across the globe to improve outcomes for children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Dr. Carrie Quinn opened the discussion by emphasizing the profound impact of the first 1,000 days on a child’s development. “During the first few years of life, the brain forms one million neural connections every second,” Dr. Quinn said. “A nurturing environment, filled with positive relationships, is key to buffering stress and fostering development across cognitive, emotional, and social domains.”
Dr. Quinn’s insights aligned with the GC-DWC’s work being done globally to support vulnerable children, especially in the context of poverty, where early childhood development is often neglected. The GC-DWC works in 26 countries, with longstanding implementation science programs in Haiti, Kenya, and India, where they work in over 700 school communities reaching about 800,000 children.
Neil Boothby, GC-DWC director, outlined the transformative role the Catholic Church can play in addressing global childhood development challenges. “Globally, the Church stands as the largest non-state provider of education services, with over 62 million children attending Catholic schools globally,” Boothby explained. “In Kenya, for example, the Church manages about 40% of the schools nationwide, and in some rural locations, it is present when the government is not.”
Boothby introduced the Seeds of Compassion Initiative, which works to align approaches of child development knowledge, messages, and interventions across the home, school, and parish settings of the Church ecology—where young children are in regular contact with individuals who affect their learning and development. “Using the structure, hierarchy, and processes of the Catholic Church, as well as its reach into homes, schools, and the parish community, we look for contextually appropriate ways to engage the Church ecosystem in programming for young children that is holistic, cross-sectoral, and fit-for-purpose,” Boothby emphasized.
To complement this, Wendy Angst discussed her work with the St. Bakhita Vocational Training Center in Northern Uganda, originally founded to help young women abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), many of whom returned with children born in captivity. Today, Saint Bakhita’s works with the next generation of young women that are still navigating the after-effects of the war and the extreme poverty of the region. She explained how the university’s Impact Consulting minor supports the school's revival by engaging Notre Dame students over multiple semesters to work collaboratively with the women at St. Bakhita’s to identify, fund, and implement sustainable solutions to local challenges. "By connecting Notre Dame students with St. Bakhita’s, we’re creating long-term change," she said. Since reopening in 2021, the center has graduated over 150 women, many young mothers, and launched an early childhood development center. The partnership between the University, the Archdiocese of Gulu, and the local community has created a model of collaboration that Angst believes can be replicated to address complex challenges globally.
Moderator Nicole McNeil also discussed the science of early literacy and numeracy development, emphasizing the transformative power of connecting research and action. “In some cases, substantial research evidence identifies environmental factors that support young children’s development, but system-level barriers prevent these strategies from reaching those who need them most,” she said. “In other cases, strategies that work well in one context may not translate directly to others. Collaboration with partners allows us to adapt proven approaches, testing and refining them to optimize their effectiveness and relevance across diverse contexts.”
Boothby added that Notre Dame’s ability to apply cutting-edge research to local contexts, such as those in Haiti and Kenya, makes it a unique leader in the global Early Childhood Development space. “Notre Dame is a catalyst for change. We’re leveraging the university’s values and research expertise to address the root causes of intergenerational poverty, working with faith communities to improve developmental outcomes for children worldwide. If Notre Dame does not do this work, then who will?”
In closing, the panelists reflected on the importance of faith, research, and community collaboration in creating lasting change. Dr. Quinn summed up the discussion: “What we’re seeing in this work across the globe is that strong, supportive relationships are essential for young children’s development. The faith-based community, with its global reach and commitment to service, is uniquely positioned to make a difference.”
About the Seeds of Compassion Initiative
The Seeds of Compassion Initiative integrates early childhood development science with faith-based values to create holistic, community-driven solutions to poverty and developmental deprivation. Through long-term research collaboration with partners—and bringing together Catholic leaders alongside neuroscientists, child development specialists, and educators—this initiative will furnish evidence-based guidance on mobilizing and aligning parish communities to champion endeavors focused on children’s learning and development across the globe. in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions, while ensuring country-level learnings are shared across countries and regions to create long-term, sustainable impact.
To read more about the Seeds of Compassion Initiative, please visit: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:2e2baf4b-6520-3cee-bcca-50c5cd684126
To learn more about the GC-DWC and its work to provide pathways out of poverty for the world’s most vulnerable children, please visit: https://iei.nd.edu/gc-dwc
