early child care and education

The effectiveness of interventions to address health inequalities in the early years: a review of relevant literature

Review prepared to summarise the relevant evidence base and advise policy colleagues of the known effectiveness of specific early years health interventions.

The review covers the following areas: pregnancy at a young age; maternal and foetal health during pregnancy; maternal and child nutrition and physical and mental health; child development and early education; parenting in the early years; vulnerable groups and longer term impacts.

A study of children's perspectives on the quality of their experiences in early years provision

Thesis that presents a study of three and four year-old children attending preschool at a time of rapid expansion of this phase of education. There is strong evidence that the quality of the experience is the determining factor in the long term effectiveness of early years provision. However, quality is a contested concept with a range of viewpoints, defined by different stakeholders including children.