Early years focus

What happens during pre-conception, pregnancy, birth and the earliest years of a child’s life can determine the health and wellbeing of the rest of their childhood and their adult life. This is why support for children’s early years, for their families and for the early years workforce has always been an important focus for Children in Scotland’s work.

Since 2010, funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, supported by the Scottish Government, is enabling us to increase and deepen our work to influence policy on early years matters. While our policy staff, with our members, are pursuing early years policy matters through a range of networks and methods, this increased focus has an impact on all Children in Scotland’s work including our training, events and publications, some of which we highlight here.

If you would like be on the mailing list for the quarterly early years newsletter email sburton@childreninscotland.org.uk

Early years newsletter
Newsletter 3 (Feb 2012)

Newsletter 2 (Oct 2011)

Newsletter 1 (May 2011)

Briefings and reports

Special Report no.2: Early Childhood Education and Care: Developing a fully integrated early years system
Working for Inclusion, a European research programme led by Children in Scotland, found that integrated systems of early childhood education and care were highly correlated with low child poverty and high child wellbeing.

Children in Scotland has published a detailed report with recommendations for how to develop a fully integrated early years system in Scotland.  The first recommendation is that the Scottish Government should use the European Commission’s Communication on Early Childhood Education and Care as a policy framework for Scotland. 

Special Report no.1: The cost of childcare in Scotland
Produced by Children in Scotland, in association with The Scottish Out of School Network.
Cost is a key component of the whole experience of non-parental care for children and the positive or negative impact it has. This report focuses on costs, but within the context of related areas of debate
frequently raised by Children in Scotland and its members.

Early Years Briefing Paper 8: Universal Entitlements: How investments in the early years should be informed by research evidence about universal approaches - currently available to members only click here

Early Years Briefing Paper 7: How they did it: Slovenia and Norway's Early Childhood Education and Care policy (September 2011)

Early Years Briefing Paper 6: Legislating to improve outcomes for young children in Scotland (September 2011)

Early Years Briefing Paper 5: Scotland's Additional Support for Learning Act as a resource for young children (and their parents) and for early years providers (August 2011)

Early Years Briefing Paper 4: Scotland’s new government and its Promises for young children and their families (July 2011)

Early Years Briefing Paper 3: Early Childhood Education and Care (June 2011)

Early Years Briefing Paper 2: Preconception Health (April 2011)

Early Years Briefing Paper 1: Fetal Alcohol Harm (April 2011)

The early years network

(part of Scotland’s Children’s Sector Forum)

A group of Forum members have taken part in person and by email in two network group meetings to establish priorities and to consider ways of working together and independently to improve children’s lives from their earliest years.

If you are interested in being part of this network, contact Sarah Burton sburton@childreninscotland.org.uk

Early years work across Children in Scotland

Children in Europe issue 22 - transitions

Making the transition from early childhood services to school is a big event in a child’s life. There is wide variation in the age at which children start school across Europe, but whether this takes place at 4 or 7 years of age, children benefit from help in making the adjustment. This issue will consider how educators and families can support children through the transition and ask if the emphasis should be on children preparing for school, or schools adjusting to the needs of their youngest children.Issue 22 of Children in Europe is out March 2012, members

receive a free copy, but to buy a copy click here

The theme will also be the subject of the Children in Europe 2012 Conference ‘Life changes: supporting transitions’, taking place on 20 March, in association with North Ayrshire Council.www.childreninscotland.org.uk/transitions

Other early years events and training

1 May: Joined up thinking: supporting brain development in the early years www.childreninscotland.org.uk/zeedyk
8 May: Thriving for life: combating neglect from childhood and beyond www.childreninscotland.org.uk/neglect

29 May: The Cycle of Observation, Assessment and Planning
Supporting implementation of Pre-birth to Three and early level Curriculum for Excellence - the capacity for this course is being increased, so please register your interest now hbingham@childreninscotland.org.uk

www.childreninscotland.org.uk/observation

Working for inclusion: the role of the early years workforce in addressing poverty and promoting social inclusion. This European research and practice study programme, led by Children in Scotland, found that those countries with fully integrated systems and other important interconnected policies designed to support early childhood and families appear to have higher-qualified, better paid staff, lower levels of child poverty and higher levels of child wellbeing. Visit www.childreninscotland.org.uk/wfi for research reports, European data and analysis.

Working it out: Help shape the future of Scotland's children's sector workforce. Children in Scotland invited the children's sector workforce, employers, planners, universities, colleges and other stakeholders to join in debate about future children's sector workforce development. Visit www.childreninscotland.org.uk/workforce for a series of publications outlining the discussions and learning.

Contact details
for this section:

Sarah Burton

Policy Development Manager

Telephone:

0131 222 2445

Click here to send an email