Princess Kate has taken another significant step in advancing her early childhood campaign by launching a new partnership aimed at promoting emotional and social development among young people.
The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has joined hands with Scouts to introduce the Shaping Us blanket badge, a new initiative designed to recognise positive contributions to early childhood development. The collaboration was officially announced on January 14 through a joint social media post by the Centre for Early Childhood and Scouts, featuring an image of the newly created embroidered badge.
According to the announcement, the Shaping Us blanket badge is rooted in the Shaping Us Framework, a core element of the Princess of Wales’ early years work. The badge honours volunteers, parents, carers, and young people who actively support others in building essential social and emotional skills needed to thrive throughout life.
The Centre for Early Childhood explained that the initiative aims to turn research-based insights into practical action. The Shaping Us framework focuses on raising awareness about how experiences in early childhood can shape mental health, emotional resilience, behaviour, and relationships in later years. Since its launch in 2021, the Centre has increasingly prioritised partnerships that extend these principles into communities across the UK.
Scouts, one of the UK’s largest and most influential youth organisations, confirmed that the new badge will be worn on Scout blankets. It will serve as a symbol of meaningful engagement with the Shaping Us framework and encourage young people and adult volunteers to support healthy emotional development from the earliest years.
The partnership reflects Princess Kate’s continued commitment to embedding early childhood development at the heart of community-based initiatives across the country.