|
 |
|
The Guardian - Childcare sector in England must not become ‘playground for private equity’, experts say
Carmen Aguilar García, Michael Goodier, Alexandra Topping and Heather Stewart |
 |
Increasing involvement of investment funds could leave nursery places at risk. England’s childcare sector risks becoming a “playground for private equity”, experts have said, as exclusive analysis from the Guardian reveals investment funds have more than doubled their stake in the sector in just four years. |
|
|
Startups - Majority of parents are having to use annual leave to cover childcare commitments
Helena Young |
 |
Employers are being encouraged to offer more support to working parents, as a survey shows many are using annual leave in lieu of proper childcare options. Most working parents in the UK say they have had to use their holiday entitlement to take time off for childcare duties, as the early years crisis makes it impossible for those with care responsibilities to find an appropriate provider.
According to the latest annual ‘Work + Family‘ report by global nursery provider Bright Horizons, the problem has got so bad that 67% of working parents have resorted to using annual leave to cover childcare.
|
|
 |
The Guardian – Make nurseries exempt from VAT and business rates to boost wages, say MPs
Tobi Thomas |
 |
As well as making nurseries exempt from VAT to boost wages, the education select committee says government has more work to do to tackle structural problems in early years childcare. |
|
|
The Mirror - Marcus Rashford says poor kids missed out due to Tory flip-flopping on free school meals
Lizzy Buchan and Tom Blow |
 |
Marcus Rashford has said he wished the Government had acted sooner to feed hungry kids during the pandemic. The campaigning footballer, who twice forced Boris Johnson into U-turns over free school meals, said young children missed out while the Prime Minister was flip-flopping. Off the back of the campaign, the government provided vouchers to vulnerable children during the holidays in 2020. |
|
|
The Huffington Post - 'Help! My Toddler Won't Stop Peeing And Pooing In Their Cot'
|
 |
A HuffPost UK reader reveals their toddler keeps removing their nappy in bed and making a lot of mess in the process. Experts provide advice to parents. |
|
|
Grazia - Is ‘Quiet Quitting’ Childcare Widening The Parenting Gap?
|
 |
With new research from the Working Families charity showing four in 10 lower income families are in debt due to childcare and 65% of parents of under-fives saying childcare is a financial strain, many working parents are quietly decreasing their paid-for childcare provisions. Is this making the parenting gap between colleagues with and without kids even wider? The Juggle hears from women on both sides. |
|
|
Nursery World - Social and emotional skills decline among more than half of young children amid pandemic
Joe Lepper |
 |
More than half of young children saw their social and emotional skills worsen during the first year of the Covid pandemic, a survey of parents has found. |
|
|
The Mirror - Breastfeeding expert debunks biggest myth parents are taught about 'latching on'
Courtney Pochin |
 |
A parenting and baby expert for The Baby Show addresses some of the biggest breastfeeding myths, sharing what mums need to know instead. Rachel FitzD, who spent years working as a specialist infant feeding midwife, explaining how many of the 'latching on' techniques that are taught to new parents can actually be unhelpful and unnecessary. |
|
|
Early Years Educator - Parents could struggle to access funded places through new government offer, survey finds
Kathy Oxtoby |
|
New research by the Early Years Alliance reveals that parents are set to struggle to find funded places through the new government offer, as providers warn of limited capacity. |
|
|
Children and Young People Now - Childminders to benefit from free mentor programme
Emily Harle
|
 |
Applications have opened for the next round of the Department for Education’s childminder mentor programme, designed to support practitioners to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on young children. |
|
|
The Guardian – Letters: Nursery education should be nationalised
Elizabeth Pearson |
 |
Elizabeth Pearson, former nursery teacher and head of a maintained nursery school, wants Labour to incorporate all early years provision into the maintained sector. |
|
|
Children and Young People Now - Early years leaders criticise 'offensive' government blog on funded childcare expansion
Joe Lepper |
 |
Sector leaders have hit out at a government blog justifying plans to expand funded childcare hours, with Early Years Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch branding its claims as “simply not true” and a “gross insult” to settings. |
|
|
BBC News - Free childcare: Wales parents want more financial help
Charanpreet Khaira |
 |
Parents are calling on the Welsh government to offer the same financial support for childcare as England. In March, it was announced free childcare for working parents in England would be expanded to all children under five by September 2025, to help get parents back to work.
A petition calling for this to be matched in Wales gained 6,000 signatures in 48 hours. |
|
|
Nursery World - Childminder’s petition to end Ofsted’s ‘reign of terror’ attracts 100,000 signatures
Joe Lepper
|
 |
A childminder’s petition to ensure any reform of Ofsted inspections also applies to early years settings, has attracted more than 100,000 signatures. |
|
|
The Mirror - 'Parties must offer proper parenting support - here’s why it’s a vote winner'
Matt Buttery |
 |
The Education Committee report confirms the huge challenge in finding affordable and available childcare that works for parents. Matt Buttery, CEO of global parenting programme provider Triple P UK and Ireland, writes that 'We must provide parents with access to early years settings and high quality services that can help them to overcome key challenges’.
|
|
|
The Independent - Lead exposure in womb linked to growing up to become a criminal
Eleanor Noyce |
 |
Significant exposure to lead in early years is linked to a higher risk of criminal behaviour, a new study has found. The research, published in PLOS Global Public Health, suggests an increased probability of criminal activity in adulthood when an individual is exposed to lead either in the womb or during the early years of their childhood. |
|
|
Blogposts, Podcasts and more
|
Early Education - Physical development in early childhood
Clare Devlin |
 |
What aspects of physical development should we focus on within the Early Years Foundation Stage and other early years curricula? In this article, Clare explores the importance of physicality at this crucial point in a child’s development. The article explores two key aspects, “moving and handling” and “self-care”. It defines the key terms and illustrates the ways in which children can be supported to grow and develop in themselves.
|
|
|
The Sutton Trust – Early years education reform: Could life chances for children be significantly improved |
 |
England’s early years system is at a critical juncture, with ongoing discussions for reform and the recent budget announcement signalling a large-scale expansion. Author of the recent report on the early years, Elena Rosa Brown, unpacks what England could learn from other early years systems around the world. |
|
|
Teacher Tapp - What is the most popular validated phonics scheme? |
 |
Teacher Tapp explores the popularity of different validated phonics schemes. |
|
|
Nursery World - Long Read: Trying to hang on to nursery schools
Catherine Gaunt |
 |
The uncertain fate of five of Croydon's settings highlights a national trend that is casting doubt on the future of nursery schools and the provision they offer.
|
|
|
EEF - EasyPeasy – a case study on following results over time |
 |
One of the challenges in generating evidence is the knowledge that even if a programme may or may not initially show promising findings, subsequent results may show a very different picture. Sometimes initial promise might fade out and results reduce in subsequent years, while in other cases the impacts of a programme might not be felt until later into the implementation of the approach. One of the things we have committed to at the EEF is following results over time – either through addenda reports or longitudinal follow ups – to track whether results have changed since the programme was implemented. One interesting recent case study is the evaluation of EasyPeasy. |
|
|
Hargreaves Lansdown - How much do kids cost? – plus 5 tips to help lighten the load |
 |
Hargreaves Lansdown break down the average cost of having kids and share five tips to help lighten the load. Couples with kids spend over £5,000 a year more than couples who don't. This adds up to more than £96,000 over 18 years. |
|
|
EEF - Evidence-informed programmes for Early Years staff – finding the right fit for your setting |
 |
The EEF Early Years Toolkit tells us that approaches for promoting communication and language can have a significant impact on children’s development, boosting progress by an additional seven months on average. These approaches can be particularly beneficial for children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and also tend to be low-cost. |
|
|
Research and Policy Developments
|
Neuroscience News - Baby Gut Microbes: A Link to Early Cognitive Skills? |
 |
Researchers discovered associations between specific microbes in infants’ guts and early cognitive development performance. This exploratory study examined 56 infants, revealing that certain microbiome compositions corresponded with success in cognitive tests like “point and gaze”. |
|
|
Institute of Fiscal Studies - Why take-up of the two-year-old offer has really fallen
Christine Farquharson |
 |
Take-up of the funded two-year-old offer might be at an all-time high – but eligibility for the benefit is lower than ever. Christine Farquharson explores the situation. |
|
|
Children and Families Policy Research Unit - £5.5m awarded for child and family health policy research |
|
The funding from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) allows the Children and Families Policy Research Unit (CPRU) to continue its work for the next five years from January 2024, and further strengthens its commitment to support evidence-based policymaking. |
|
|
Local Government Association - Shining a light on early years nutrition: The role of councils |
 |
Bremner & Co were commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to capture learnings from councils across England about nutrition in early years settings. This report examines the relationship between councils and all early year settings - maintained, Private and Voluntary Institutions (PVIs) and childminders.
|
|
|
International Journal of Early Years Education - What is the purpose of education? A context for early childhood education |
 |
This paper contextualises Early Childhood Education within the wider field of Education, exploring some of those framings to address an important question for human development: What is the purpose of Education?
|
|
|
|
West Suffolk College - Introduction to Neuroscience in Early Years - Level 2 Online Course |
 |
This is a 12-week (approx. 120 hours) Online Self-Study qualification course. It can be started anytime and accessed (via a learning portal) at times/days to suit you. This online self-study course allows you to study at your own pace at a time and day that is convenient for you, gaining a level 2 qualification. This qualification provides an introduction to neuroscience in the early years – from birth to seven years. Self-regulation in the early years is a critical set of skills that help children to remain calm, attentive, and able to deal with powerful emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness. Children are not born with these skills; they develop them over time when they are supported to understand their feelings and actions by caring and responsive adults. This qualification covers key factors that may affect development in children, such as stress, adverse childhood experiences, and special educational needs and disabilities.
|
|
|
|
|
