early childhood

Report that reflects the coalition government’s commitment to continue work on identifying barriers to the uptake of early years provision among the most disadvantaged three and four year olds as an important means of reducing educational and socio-economic inequality (Gove 2010). The study uses data from the 2008 and 2009 surveys in the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents series.

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.

Purpose of the review is to consider the original sources on children’s development as well as the critical reviews of these. The focus is on research findings published since 2000 as the ultimate goal was to update, rather than to repeat, the evidence base on which the EYFS was originally based.

Report with a focus on parenting from babyhood to early childhood. It brings together and examines research from a variety of disciplines to address the following questions:

- Why is parenting important in the early years?
- What is good parenting in the early years?
- What are the determinants of parenting in the early years, and is it who you are or what you do that is important?

Paper to communicate key messages to the Department for Education, the Teaching Agency and to other sector leaders who will support the early education and childcare workforce in the future.

Research project that explored how interagency working could put such policy and guidance into practice and considered what this work might look like at grassroots level. It used a mixed-method approach comprising action research and quantitative analysis of questionnaires completed by research practitioners. The methodology was found to be effective as it supported the aims and objectives of the research. It also empowered the researchers and the research participants developing practice.

Strategy document that sets out to ensure better educational and wider outcomes for children by improving the quality and integration of services to the youngest children and their families from 2010 to 2015.

Paper that introduces the four thematic briefing papers provided for the Early Years Framework task groups. It does not attempt to draw together the findings across the thematic papers, but rather, is intended to provide some considerations to bear in mind when interpreting the evidence.

Review that aims to provide the reader with a clearer understanding of integrated service provision in the early years and the policy behind it. It was carried out by the Institute of Education on behalf of the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO).