Sustainability in the Early Years: An Essential Guide
Zoe Raven’s Sustainability in the Early Years: An Essential Guide for Educators, written with Santa Svike and Becky Watanabe, felt very familiar to me because much of their approach reflects…
LEYF CEO Blog and Podcast by Dr June O’Sullivan OBE
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
Early Years Is Politics: What South Africa Can Teach Us About Children’s Rights
There was something rather serendipitous about how I came to read Children, Our Future, Barbara and Terry Bell’s account of the struggle for early childhood care and education in…
What are our children breathing?
We spend a great deal of time in Early Years thinking about what children eat, what they drink, how much they move and whether they spend enough time outdoors.
Nursery photography in Early Years: Rethinking how we tell children’s stories
Nursery photography plays an important role in how families choose an Early Years setting. Photographs help parents understand a nursery’s environment, values and approach to learning. For many providers, childcare…
Birth to Five Matters, Still Matters
I recently received the second edition of Birth to Five Matters: Guidance for the Sector, by the Sector. I read the whole book, but inevitably found myself particularly interested…
Digital Literacy in Early Years: It’s About Pedagogy, Not Screens
Even in a digital age, nobody goes to a good conference without a notebook. I spent three days at the 34th EECERA Conference at the University of Madeira…
Getting Away to Learn: Why Conferences Still Matter
I have always liked a good conference. Not necessarily because I want to sit in a chair all day being talked at. In fact, that is probably my definition of…
From Awareness to Action: Building Sustainability-Informed Educators
One of the great pleasures of our Action for Sustainability Community of Practice is that it brings together educators, researchers and leaders from across the world who are asking…
What Does Quality Really Mean in Early Years? A Conversation with Chris Pascal OBE and Tony Bertram
Quality in Early Years education is a term used constantly by policymakers, inspectors, leaders and teachers. But what does quality actually mean for children, families and educators?…
People Under Three: Why Belonging Must Be at the Heart of Baby Care
Thirty years ago, Elinor Goldschmied and Sonia Jackson chose a title that still resonates today: People Under Three. Three simple words that quietly transformed the way many of us…
To Coracle, or Not to Coracle: That is the Question
Safe Sleep Needs Clarity, Not Confusion Whenever a baby dies, every one of us in Early Years is shocked, distressed and cannot quite comprehend that someone who…
Nursery by Design – A Book Born from Small Steps
The idea for this book began many years ago with my own daughter. Like many young children, she found saying goodbye in the morning difficult. She wanted one last wave…
From Reggio to Tipperary: Why Good Educational Ideas Need Thoughtful Translation
I have always had enormous respect for the work of Loris Malaguzzi and Carlina Rinaldi. Reggio Emilia emerged from a unique historical, political and cultural context and,…
Unlocking a £400 Billion Social Value Opportunity for Britain’s Future
This week, I had the privilege of attending the House of Lords for the launch of two significant reports examining Social Enterprise, procurement and the future of our economy.