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Foundation Years January Bulletin | |
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'Do Something BIG' campaign - updated recruitment information and resources | |
The Do Something BIG campaign launched its latest burst of advertising on 28th December 2024. The campaign aims to improve the awareness, positive perception and consideration of a career in the early education and childcare sector and has so far driven approx. 38,000 visits to the campaign website each week.
DfE would be grateful for your continued support in helping to promote the Do Something BIG recruitment campaign. You can download our newly updated communications toolkit which contains new information and helpful resources such as brand new editable assets to help you communicate the campaign messages and amplify your own recruitment activity.
If you have any questions, please contact earlyyears.careers@education.gov.uk. | |
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Reminder: Survey of recent recruits and applicants to early years roles - please complete by 31st January | |
Have you started a role working in an early years setting with children under 5 in the last nine months? Or have you recently applied for a role like this?
The Department for Education want to hear about your views on jobs and careers in early education.
Click here to complete a short 5-10 minute survey: www.iffresearch.com/eyfi/web
The Department has commissioned IFF Research to conduct this research in 40 local authorities across England. Simply click the link above, and if the role you’ve started/applied for is in one of those areas, you will be able to complete a short 5-10 minute survey, and will receive £5 on completion as a thank you for taking part.
Your feedback will help the Department to learn more about what attracts people like you to work in early education. They will use this information to make decisions about working conditions and pay. | |
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Using the Early Years Qualifications List to check qualifications: Why the course start date matters | |
As you may be aware, approved – sometimes also called “full and relevant” – qualifications are listed on the Early Years Qualifications List (EYQL). Approved qualifications enable the holder to work within staff:child ratios in early years (EY) settings in England.
When checking qualifications on the EYQL, we advise you to use the course start date, rather than the course completion date. The course start date is essential as it determines which Department for Education (DfE) qualification criteria the training course aligns with.
You will be able to find your course start date in your/your employee’s course enrolment documentation or by asking your/your employee’s training provider.
You can read more about checking early years qualifications on GOV.UK on this page. | |
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Early years child development training - free online training | |
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DfE’s Early years child development training is an online programme that is free to access and has been designed by early years experts:
· Build and strengthen your child development knowledge and understanding
· Get practical advice for supporting children in your setting
· Test your knowledge and reflect on your own practice
· Watch practical training videos
· Access the modules in any order at any time
· Pause and restart the training to suit you
· Make notes as you learn · Download a certificate after completion of each module
There are 8 modules available now covering key areas of child development, including understanding child and brain development and the EYFS, personal, social and emotional development, communication and language, physical development, effective curriculum and assessment, and supporting individual differences and needs. | |
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Apply now! 15 hours childcare for eligible working parents | |
If your child was born between 1st April and 30th June 2024, you may be eligible for 15 hours per week of funded childcare to use from 1st April 2025. The 15 hours of funded childcare can be stretched to cover 52 weeks of the year and can be used alongside Tax Credits, Universal Credit, and Tax-Free Childcare.
If you are an eligible working parent, to access the government funded childcare support, you need to: · Create a childcare account. You will need an account to access 15 hours per week funded childcare from the time your child turns 9 months old. · Complete your application and receive an 11 digit childcare code. · Take the 11 digit code to your childcare provider before the 31st March. You will need this to start accessing childcare support from April onwards.
Visit Childcare Choices for more information or to find out what you’re eligible for. | |
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Best Start in Life: the prime areas of learning and what our research means for childminders | |
On 16 December 2024 we held a webinar for childminders about our early years research series: Best Start in Life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning.
In the webinar we focus on the importance of Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED), Communication and Language (CL) and Physical Development (PD) and what a curriculum for these areas of learning looks like. We also discuss how we look at the prime areas of learning on inspection and share our top 10 takeaway points from our research. | |
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Explore NDNA's free online early years and childcare training courses | |
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All NDNA (National Day Nurseries Association) early years and childcare training is up to date, reflecting the very latest childcare best practice across the UK. Find out more about NDNA's free online early years and childcare training courses written by early years experts to find the perfect early years training for your team here. | |
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It takes a village: Nursery resources for your parents | |
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National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) is on a mission to widen parents' understanding of the value of early years education.
We know that a child in nursery has the opportunity to: - Relax and be creative - Experience open-ended play - Be physically and mentally active - Get messy, loud and take risks - Develop their language with peers - Develop their balance and coordination
Share NDNA's free parent guides and Evie's journey to nursery with prospective parents. | |
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Celebrating 10 Years of A Better Start | |
Over the past 10 years, The National Lottery Community Fund's A Better Start programme has been at the forefront of pioneering changes, ensuring that babies, children and families have the best start in life.
This FREE online event will showcase the remarkable achievements and success stories from different communities, illustrating how innovative approaches, co-produced with local parents and carers, have improved outcomes and influenced the wider early years landscape.
Whether you are a practitioner, policymaker, or simply passionate about early child development, this event promises to provide valuable insights and inspiration. Don't miss this chance to celebrate the successes and learn how we can continue to build a brighter future for our youngest generation.
Monday, February 10, 2025 - 1 to 4:30pm Via Zoom | |
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Getting it Right in the Baby Room: A Free Conference for Baby Room Educators and Nursery Managers | |
Are you a baby room educator or nursery manager? Are you extending your baby room or hoping to improve practice in the baby room?
The Nuffield-funded research team behind www.thebabyroom.blog are launching a FREE Saturday conference called ‘Getting it right in the baby room’. It’ll be a day of inspiring speakers and engaging conversations all about the baby room, with lots of delicious food thrown in. They’re coming to six cities around the country over the spring/summer: London, York, Norwich, Manchester, Falmouth and Bristol.
Places are limited so if you’re interested and want to book a space, please head to: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/getting-it-right-in-the-baby-room-104394816931 | |
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Hounslow Council has prioritised children’s health by signing off a policy that comprehensively restricts advertising of inappropriate and nutritionally poor foods and drinks at every age across their local area. They are the first government of any size to act on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) calls to comprehensively restrict the inappropriate marketing of commercial baby food. The London Borough’s policy is the first to comprehensively address inappropriately marketed foods and drinks for babies and children under 3 years. It is the first to include the WHO Code, which provides protections against inappropriately marketed breastmilk substitutes and follow-on milks, as well as the WHO’s Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM) which provides protections against inappropriately marketed commercial (bought) baby foods and other drinks. | |
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The 'Twoness of Twos' report | |
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EYPDP celebrates outstanding results as practitioners praise positive impact | |
The DfE-funded Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP) is celebrating fantastic results from its latest evaluation survey, showcasing the transformative impact on early years practitioners across England.
The recent Cohort 2 survey revealed that 98% of participants feel more knowledgeable after completing the Education Development Trust delivered course, with 96% feeling more confident in their roles and 94% feeling more motivated to continue working in the sector.
Programme Director Lyn Challender said: "We are incredibly proud of the practitioners who have taken part in the EYPDP, often while managing demanding work and personal commitments. Seeing the significant impact this programme has on their confidence, knowledge, and motivation highlights the true value of this programme."
As the final cohort progresses, catch-up webinars are supporting practitioners completing the programme. Learn more about the latest survey results and the EYPDP’s ongoing impact here: www.earlyyearspdp.com. | |
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Foundation Years is funded by the Department for Education and brought to you by Begin Bright. |
Our mailing address is: foundationyears@beginbright.com | | | |
