Kate Middleton recently launched her latest campaign, ShapingUs, to promote early childhood development. In honor of the new program, the Princess of Wales shared a rare childhood photo of herself and her father.
The picture shows an infant Middleton reaching out to touch her father Michael’s face. “‘Faces are a baby’s best toy,’” she wrote in her caption before explaining the ShapingUs campaign to her followers.
ShapingUs was created to “raise awareness of the vital role our early years play in shaping the rest of our lives,” the princess shared. She then encouraged her followers to “spend time with your friends, families, colleagues and communities talking about your early childhoods and how they’ve shaped your lives.”
“I hope you’ll also consider joining me in sharing a picture of yourselves before your fifth birthday to help with those conversations and to share some smiles and memories too,” she concluded.
The new campaign is part of Middleton’s ongoing work in the world of early childhood development. In a statement provided by Buckingham Palace, Middleton explained why this has become her passion project.
“The way we develop, through our experiences, Relationships, and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives,” she said.
“It affects everything from our ability to form relationships and thrive at work, to our mental and physical well-being as adults and the way we parent our own children.”
Middleton called on others to help “build a supportive, nurturing world around the youngest members of our society and those caring for them” in an effort to create a better world for future generations.
“All of society has a role to play in this, even if you are not directly involved in a child’s life, because we are all responsible for building a more compassionate world in which our children can grow, learn and live,” the Duchess of Cambridge continued.
“In these difficult times, it is more important than ever to help support parents and caregivers provide loving, safe, and secure homes for their babies and young children to thrive.”
Middleton is extremely passionate about her work in the world of childhood development and is hard at work to provide support for caregivers and parents. Her latest campaign is just one more way that she’s working to raise awareness about this important stage in a child’s life.
