What does it really mean for a young child to thrive?

It’s a question that often goes unanswered, partly because the information we rely on is scattered across sectors and shaped by narrow definitions. Health statistics might tell one story, education scores another, while broader aspects of a child’s environment often remain invisible.

The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) is attempting to do something about it. With the development of the Thriving Child Index, ECA is creating a new framework that rethinks how we monitor, and ultimately improve, child wellbeing. Rather than using isolated figures, the Index will bring together a range of indicators, from child health and learning outcomes to the family and care systems that support them, to give a comprehensive view of what it takes for young children to flourish.

In this Q&A, Saleha Al Azri, Director of Research and Cognitive Solutions at ECA, speaks to the thinking behind the Index, the knowledge gaps it aims to fill, and how it offers an integrated approach to measuring early childhood wellbeing. They also reflect on the impact of data governance, partnerships like RD4C, and how evidence-based results must be translated into practical policy action.

This conversation offers an interesting insight into how one government is working to turn disconnected data into an effective tool for equity, transparency, and sustainable child wellbeing.

Q: Before we dive in, could you please share a bit about the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority?

A: The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, established in 2019, promotes optimal child development and well-being from the early stages of pregnancy to the age of eight. We influence policies, inform decision-making through research, and incubate innovative ideas—all while enabling the Early Childhood Sector and navigating the impact it’s making. 

We focus on Health and Nutrition, Child Protection, Family Support, and Education and Early Care. Our vision is that every young child can flourish to their full potential in a safe and family-friendly environment.

Q: What led to the development of the Thriving Child Index, and how does it differ from other existing indices evaluating children’s welfare?

A: As part of our work over the last five years, we noticed there was a gap in having a unified framework for assessing how well children are growing. 

Currently, different government entities globally assess child wellbeing through their own sector-specific indicators – for instance, health agencies prioritize medical wellbeing, education bodies assess learning outcomes, and social services focus on family support. While these criteria are all important, measuring children’s wellbeing in that siloed manner does not provide a holistic overview.

A unified framework is needed to ensure child wellbeing is not measured through a single metric, but takes into consideration the different aspects that make up young children’s lives and development. This crucial structure would enable us to have a better lens through which to understand how new initiatives and policy changes are effectively affecting young children’s lives. 

This led us to start working on the Thriving Child Index in 2025, which we are leading in collaboration with key government agencies, experts, and researchers. Through this initiative, ECA is stepping in to fill that gap and help develop a holistic framework to answer the critical question: “How do we know children are thriving?"

Q: How does your team define ‘thriving’ in the context of this Index? 

A: This is the exact question which the Thriving Child Index will aim to answer. Through careful consideration of all key areas that contribute to the healthy development of a young child, we will aim to develop a framework which defines ‘thriving’ in a holistic manner. The metrics to be used are currently being identified in collaboration with a coalition of global and local experts to ensure the Index covers all necessary sectors.

Q: Could you please walk us through the Index’s scope, such as geographic coverage, age ranges, and core indicators? 

A: The Thriving Child Index will include indicators that cover all pillars of early childhood development, including education, health, parental support, culture, values and wellbeing, ensuring it acts as a carefully considered framework for measuring a child’s wellbeing as they progress through infancy up to age eight. As the Index is intended to support and influence policymaking, several levels of data quality validation are required to finalize the indicators and reach an agreed-upon list of metrics, which we are hoping to achieve by the end of the year.

Q: Abu Dhabi ECA and the RD4C Initiative have been long-time partners. How has this collaboration contributed to the development of the Thriving Child Index? 

A: The collaboration with RD4C has yielded many benefits to ECA and the work we are doing with children’s data.  Child data privacy has always been a high priority, and the collaboration has allowed us to refine and improve our methods in different aspects of initiative, from the intent behind data collection and its scope to future access and data-sharing practices. While working on defining the Thriving Child Index, we made certain that the work that’s been done is aligned with the principles of RD4C, which are flexible and can be easily adapted to Abu Dhabi’s context.

Q: Let’s talk about data and RD4C in action. Where do you source your data, and how do you ensure it represents all children? When reliable data is limited, how do you address the gaps? 

A: At ECA, we source data from cross-sector government systems, surveys, and community partnerships, ensuring representation of all children—including vulnerable groups—through representative sampling and localized data collection. 

When administrative data is scarce or not enough to answer the questions, we employ predictive analytics, expert consultations, and community engagement to fill gaps while adhering to RD4C’s principles of purpose-driven and proportional data use.  

Q: Once the data is collected, how do you ensure that the analysis accurately reflects children's realities without reinforcing unintended biases? 

A: We apply strict bias-mitigation techniques, including disaggregation by demographics (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status) and regular model audits, to ensure our analysis reflects children’s diverse realities and environments. 

Additionally, we validate findings through ECA’s local and global panel of experts, community feedback when applicable, and cross-referencing with global benchmarks ensuring accuracy and representativeness while minimizing biases.

Q: How do you envision policymakers using this Index to drive meaningful change? 

A: The Thriving Child Index is designed to help policymakers make well-informed decisions when it comes to young children’s lives in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. In addition to helping them assess the true impact of their work, the Index will act as a long-term policy compass, enabling leaders to continuously monitor trends, identify emerging challenges, and proactively adapt strategies to ensure every child thrives, not just today, but for generations to come. We hope the Index can inspire and inform similar efforts across the region and globally, offering a practical model that turns child wellbeing into actionable policy.

Q: ECA and RD4C share a similar mission to protect children’s data while making the most of it. How does your team strike that balance? Any lessons others working in this area might learn from your experience? 

A: Our approach to collecting and using data has always been centered around child protection first. Our work is heavily based on research and data, and we understand the importance of using the data responsibly and maintaining the trust of our community. We are transparent with our intentions whenever collecting data, and use extremely secure tools and procedures when working with the data we have gathered. 

Additionally, we implement strict data anonymization and access control to the data by default. We also make sure not to expose data elements that can be used to reverse engineer the identity of children through probabilistic matching. However, we encourage data-driven decision-making and policy, as long as responsible data use and compliance with privacy laws are observed.

We have found that being transparent with our stakeholders leads to higher levels of trust and improves collaboration between all parties involved, including the community.

Q: Thank you for sharing these valuable insights. We look forward to seeing the Thriving Child Index take shape. When can we expect the first results to be made public?

A: We are currently in the initial stages of developing the Thriving Child Index, as it was just announced in February 2025. The first baseline measurement of thriving children will take place in 2026, and we aim to officially launch the Index in 2027.

The findings and the framework of the Thriving Child Index will be made public after validation, and the aggregated trends and insights will be communicated to the public through multiple platforms.

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