This project was undertaken in December 2021 using a short online questionnaire. Respondents were asked to provide demographic information and to select up to three urgent COVID-19 research
priorities among a list of 15 topics related to early childhood development and nurturing care. This
list was generated by reviewing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Nurturing Care Framework and expert opinion. Space was provided for respondents to list additional research priorities not included in the list.

For each identified priority, respondents were asked to detail specific research questions, including interventions that should be prioritized in future research. The questionnaire also asked respondents to rate various methodologies for studying the identified research priorities on a four-point scale, from not at all important to very important. The questionnaire concluded with open-ended questions regarding the most significant challenges with COVID-19 ECD research, and how organizations, alliances and networks can advance ECD research in the context of COVID-19.

The questionnaire was completed by 98 respondents from 47 mostly low- and middle-income countries (Figure1). Most respondents were professionals in the early childhood development space and users or consumers of research (59%), including pediatricians, early childhood educators and program managers. Thirty-six percent of respondents were researchers, and 5% worked for research funding agencies.