Hi and welcome to the new year child care blog. Recently, there’s been some debate about the meaning of the phrase “school readiness” within the EYFS. The document “Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage” tells us that the EYFS, “promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children […]

Hi and welcome. In December, many of you will be working in holiday clubs. So this month I have a couple of icy activities for you, ideal for a mixed age group. Ice bowls are fun to make, safe to eat from and they even look fantastic on any Christmas party table. To make one, […]

        A PROJECT SET UP TO CONFRONT THE PROBLEM OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN YOUNG CHILDREN HAS WON A NATIONAL NUTRITION AWARD. READ MORE…

This month, a new regulation and inspection framework came into force for Ofsted inspectors, and with it, a few changes to the way in which Ofsted inspectors are to fulfil their role within early years settings. Its full title is the “n on the Early Years Register”, and you can download the complete document here. […]

          Researchers from University College London (UCL) analysed the ‘bedtime data’ of more than 10,000 children involved in the UK Millennium Cohort Study at three, five and seven years old. Alongside the data, they also looked at reports on the children’s behaviour from their mothers and teachers. They found that at […]

          The annual Children’s Nurseries UK Market Report finds that the children’s nursery market grew well ahead of the economy in 2012/13, rising 2.7 per cent in real terms. It attributes the rise in value to an increase in demand for childcare – particularly a rise in the population of children […]

The courses, launched last week on the Trust’s online training hub, the Learning Network, have been designed to support the EYFS and are endorsed by the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education (CACHE). The course topics are: providing a healthy diet for young children; meeting the food and drink guidelines for early years […]

The Department for Education has published the list of names, including more than ten local authorities, nanny agencies, and a primary school, which are trialling the scheme. More than 100 different organisations applied to be part of the pilot, the Department said. The Government sees childminder agencies as a means of cutting costs and bureaucracy […]

As half term approaches, the majority of children who began early years education in September will have settled into their setting’s routine. Settings will also have been focussing on establishing good relationships with new parents and carers.             Settings provide families with a wealth of important information when they register […]

          Their call comes after research carried out in partnership with Netmums and the National Union of Teachers (NUT), revealed that 95 per cent of childcare professionals believe that developing social skills and independence are the most important factors in helping children to be ‘school ready’. The majority of the 660 […]