With a specific focus on inclusive early childhood development and care, this paper discusses the use and potential of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) to improve social inclusion for children in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion. It maps the use of the European Social Fund (ESF) in previous rounds to draw lessons for the future use of ESF+. It complements the ‘Mini Toolkit: Use of the European Social Fund to combat poverty and social exclusion of children’ which was also produced by the ESF Community of Practice on Social Inclusion. While the mini-toolkit provides a comprehensive checklist to use in the process of planning ESF+ projects, this paper is developed on the basis of reflections on past practices of using ESF. The specific focus of the paper is on inclusive early childhood development and care and, in particular, interventions that are directed towards children at risk of poverty or exclusion, their families, and their communities. Inclusive early childhood development and care refers to the nurturing care that is necessary for all children to survive and thrive and have the best start in life - namely health, nutrition, early learning, responsive caregiving, and safety and security. Inclusive early childhood development and care requires integrated interventions to ensure the availability and accessibility of nurturing care, especially for children facing poverty and exclusion, and their families and caregivers.

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