Learning from Day 1: Why support learning from Day 1 of an emergency?

Learning from Day 1 is a practical guidance tool developed by the Global Education Cluster to support children’s learning and wellbeing from the very outset of an emergency, recognising that learning — including foundational skills, socio-emotional learning (SEL), and lifesaving knowledge — is a critical part of children’s protection, recovery, and development in all contexts. Grounded in the right to education, the tool provides a phased framework across preparedness, acute crisis, protracted or extended crises, and early recovery, outlining how learning objectives, delivery modalities, curricula, materials, and teacher support should adapt as contexts evolve. It emphasises contextual flexibility, inclusion, child participation, safeguarding, and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), helping coordination teams and education actors minimise disruptions to learning while supporting timely, child-centred education responses that bridge humanitarian action and longer-term system recovery.