Chefs to the Rescue!
A healthy population is the foundation of a strong and thriving economy, and that begins with our children. Poor diet is a leading cause of long-term illness and…
LEYF News and CEO Blog
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
Early Years settings are key to building children’s health – and their chefs can be the catalysts
Research shows that the experiences young children and babies have during their first five years has a long-term effect on their cognitive, emotional and physical development and their life…
Time to Help Sustain Our Children’s Future
Never has the word ‘strategy’ been quite so exciting! That’s because it is THE Sustainability Strategy. A strategy is the plan, the road map or whatever cliché you want…
Make Our Practice Part of the Praxis Triangle
Every year I try and get LEYF staff to attend and present at the annual EECERA conference. I have been doing this since 2004 , although we have not…
Christmas Advent Blog – December 11th
Continuing with the Christmas Advent tradition, on day eleven of Christmas Advent 2019 let’s reflect on what the pedagogy looks like in practice? Read my recent post reflecting on pedagogy…
Should there be more Social Enterprises in Childcare?
I operate in two worlds; Early Years and Social Enterprise. Every now and then they converge, and I find myself invited to a most unusual or unexpected event. That happened…
“Do Men in Childcare Matter”? What Do the Children Say?
Every year we have the LEYF annual debate, named in honour of Margaret Horn, student of Octavia Hill and the first paid director of what was then a local…
May the Force Be With You : The Rallying Cry in Dublin at the 26th EECERA Conference
The EECERA Conference is an annual event and I always try and attend accompanied by LEYF staff where possible. It’s much better fun when we go as…
Cleaning my teeth with Laura Henry & other surprises from a Trip to Froebel’s Birthplace
Recently, I wrote about the importance of visiting other nurseries so I was delighted when I was given a “golden ticket” by Community Playthings to visit…
A Promise of 30 Hours Free Childcare heralds the Big Childcare Conversation
The Government made childcare a central component of its election manifesto. Mr Cameron insists that his Government will extend the childcare ‘free offer’ to 30 hours a week, 38 weeks…
A Shout Out for the Childcare Apprentices during National Apprenticeship Week
This National Apprenticeship Week it is time to celebrate the joy and enthusiasm good apprentices bring into an organisation. I have been a supporter of trainees and…
If we want to improve the lives of poor two year olds, we need to have an intelligent Ofsted conversation
‘More nursery education should be carried out in schools to prepare children better for later education and help bridge the gap between rich and poor’ the Chief Inspector of schools…