Nursery Rhymes in the Early years - the enduring power of rhymes in childhood joy and development: buff.ly/bKVocLC #NurseryRhymeWeek #NurseryRhymes

It's nursery rhyme week! buff.ly/tlnfVTQ Here's an article about the many benefits of singing to babies and children. #NurseryRhymeWeek #NurseryRhymes #Singing

The State of the World's Children 2024; the flagship report from Unicef: "The future of childhood in a changing world" Download the full report here: buff.ly/yAnbCGi #EarlyChildhood #Childhood #EarlyEducation #EarlyYears

Schools white paper delayed until early 2026: buff.ly/vjIwCC9 #SENDReform #SEND #Schools

New research paper which may be of interest: "COVID-19 school disruptions in early childhood education and children’s early elementary school outcomes: findings from the smart beginnings randomized clinical trial" Full article is available here: buff.ly/ErMgOT6 #Research #Covid19 #Pandemic

Hear from current SCITT student Chloe about her experience and advice for anyone considering training to teach. You can also book a 1:1 call to find out more, or attend our upcoming event at the Get Into Teaching event in Birmingham on 22nd November. Find out more: buff.ly/RnZ1Clz #TeacherTraining

An online survey has been launched to hear views from across the early years sector to guide the review. Get involved - complete the survey: buff.ly/5b0kDT3 Learn more about the review: buff.ly/1O41h6x

The Local Government Association (LGA) is cautioning that proposals to reduce the portion of childcare funding that councils are allowed to keep could jeopardise their broader initiatives to assist families. buff.ly/4Mf4nsR #EarlyChildhood #ChildcareFunding #EarlyEducation

Study shows that even before they can read, young children are visualising letters and other objects with the same strategies adults use. Read more: buff.ly/PTnnwnh #EarlyChildhood

The government has activated the Best Start digital parenting hub, providing an array of services and resources for parents and families. More here: buff.ly/miKJzYa #BestStartInLife #EarlyChildhood #EYFS #EarlyYears

Interested in becoming a teacher? Attend a free Get Into Teaching event! Don’t miss out, sign up to an event today - and be sure to visit the CREC stand on Saturday 22 November 2025 at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre between 10am- 2:30pm. buff.ly/9R649RE #TrainToTeach #GetIntoTeaching

Freshly revamped information website from the Early Years Alliance: buff.ly/EAUBi9Y #EYFS #EarlyYears #FamilyCorner

"Expecting children to sit still and formally learn how to write at this early age conflicts with widely accepted theories around cognitive and physical development." ift.tt/I1Vvszq #SchoolReadiness #SchoolReady #ReceptionYear #4YearOlds

There are many upcoming opportunities to get more information on our School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) course. You'll find plenty of information on our website here: buff.ly/RnZ1Clz and of course hear from current student Emily: #SCITT #GetIntoTeaching #Teaching #EarlyYearsTeaching

New report finds that not all children entitled to free school meals are claiming - find out why here: buff.ly/GZnI0Ip #FreeSchoolMeals #FSM #EarlyChildhood

Interested in becoming a teacher? Attend a free Get Into Teaching event! Don’t miss out, sign up to an event today - and be sure to visit the CREC stand on Saturday 22 November 2025 at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre between 10am- 2:30pm. buff.ly/9R649RE #TrainToTeach #GetIntoTeaching

"As experts in primary education, we take the view that expecting children to sit still and formally learn how to write at this early age conflicts with widely accepted theories around cognitive and physical development." Read more: ift.tt/I1Vvszq #SchoolReadiness #SchoolReady #EarlyChildhood

Calling all Leeds and London Nursery Managers, Early Educators and Childminders: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #EarlyEducation #EYFS #EarlyYears #Childminders #Leeds #London #LondonNurseryManagers #LeedsNurseryManagers #LeedsEYFS #LondonEYFS

The Government kicks off a new national campaign to help parents cut through the bombardment of sometimes unreliable advice and false expectations online, with the Best Start in Life campaign: beststartinlife.gov.uk #EarlyYears #BestStartInLife #EYFS #First1001Days

"A nursery chain in East Sussex says the funding it receives from the government to care for children of certain age groups covers less than half of what it spends." Read more: buff.ly/BYj5PpE #NurseryFunding #NurseryPlaces #EYFS

Interested in becoming a teacher? Attend a free Get Into Teaching event! Don’t miss out, sign up to an event today - and be sure to visit the CREC stand on Saturday 22 November 2025 at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre between 10am- 2:30pm. buff.ly/9R649RE #TrainToTeach #GetIntoTeaching

🎉 Five years of impact—and we’re just getting started! Since 2019, we've been working hard to strengthen #EarlyYearsEducation across #Birmingham. Together, we’ve built a thriving #network, connecting 80% of settings citywide; sharing knowledge, CPD, and cultivating a vibrant learning #community!

"‘Poorly thought out’: expanded England childcare scheme results in higher fees for some families" buff.ly/1uR2vsb #EarlyYears #Childcare #EarlyEducation #ChildcareFunding

"The government must follow its bold ambitions with policy action to ensure it is both attractive enough to recruit and retain the staff numbers required to deliver the childcare entitlement and highly skilled to improve children’s outcomes." buff.ly/Y6gd7Qz #EarlyYears #EYFS #StaffingCrisis

In 2017, the UK government restricted benefits for children born after 6 April 2017, impacting the third and subsequent children. Nesta and the IFS evaluated this by interviewing 35 parents across four English regions. Report here: buff.ly/ORUkixu #SchoolReadiness #2ChildLimit #EarlyYears

Helpful information for parents: buff.ly/TpyH3qP #EarlyYears #EYFS #ReceptionYear #ChildHealth

This week our SCITT students have been exploring the role of communication and language development through stories. Applications for the next SCITT cohort are now open - find out more and apply here: buff.ly/YVnWwYT #TeacherTraining #EarlyYears #EYFS #Literacy #SCITT

Interested in becoming a teacher? Attend a free Get Into Teaching event! Don’t miss out, sign up to an event today - and be sure to visit the CREC stand on Saturday 22 November 2025 at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre between 10am- 2:30pm. buff.ly/9R649RE #TrainToTeach #GetIntoTeaching

Early Years Wales Conference 2025 - Body, Brains and Belonging Thursday 16th October | 18:00 to 20:30 Keynote speakers include: Alistair Bryce-Clegg MBE, Professor Christine Pascal OBE, Dr Sharon Colilles and Helen Battelley MA. buff.ly/kcsOZHO #EarlyYears #Wales #EYFS

Information session this Wednesday: CREC in partnership with Teach First offers an Early Years (3-7 yrs) specialist route into teaching. 🧒 Register for the online information event here: buff.ly/2ovqi2z #EarlyYears #TeacherTraining #SCITT #CREC #TrainToTeach

A survey indicates a need for more guidance and information for parents to effectively support their children's learning, as less than half of those with kids under five are confident in their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). More here: buff.ly/4Z5O1RM #EYFS #EarlyYears

Everything you need to know about free school breakfast clubs: buff.ly/EF3F0fO #BreakfastClubs #EarlyChildhood #EarlyEducation

Our SCITT trainees have been telling us about what they are looking forward to in their training year. 😊 #SCITT #CREC #TeacherTraining

The Early Years Alliance has issued a comment following the announcement of the Labour Party’s early years proposals as part of its “Opportunity Mission” speech earlier today, which forms one of the party’s “Five Missions For a Better Britain”: buff.ly/Fsrow8s #EarlyYears #EYFS #EarlyEducation

“... Growing up in poverty can have a devastating impact on children, affecting their health, their wellbeing and their future potential...." The Children’s Charities Coalition on the govt's proposals to lift the two-child benefit limit in @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Our SCITT trainees have been discussing the social, emotional and cognitive aspects of child development and reflecting upon their own childhood.👶 Trainees created their own “childhood in a jar” sharing personal reflections on what childhood means to them through past experiences and memories. 😊

Childcare facilities that provide woodworking activities for youngsters are being encouraged to participate in a survey aimed at assessing its educational benefits:

CREC in partnership with Teach First offers an Early Years (3-7 yrs) specialist route into teaching. 🧒 This drop-in session is an opportunity to ask questions about our programme. Register for the online information event here: buff.ly/2ovqi2z #EarlyYears #TeacherTraining #SCITT #CREC #TrainToTeach

A recent report from Coram Family and Childcare indicates that by the time they begin school, children with employed parents who qualify for these entitlements will have access to three times more government-funded early education compared to disadvantaged children. Read more:

Our community of practice has met regularly since 2003 for presentations or discussions on early childhood issues, and includes students, policy makers, local authority leaders and visiting academics. Our next meeting: Tuesday 14th October 4pm-5pm-Hybrid Register here: buff.ly/avUKEAr #CREC

Financed by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the pioneering Generation New Era project will track the lives of over 30,000 infants born in 2026, observing their development in the early years and possibly extending beyond: buff.ly/RSLyksI #GenerationNewEra

Year 1 of our part time MA starts Tuesday 14th October where students will meet with their core tutor team and begin to explore how their reflective research journey will unfold. There's still a little time to apply - find out more: buff.ly/NiihhIU #EarlyYearsMA #CREC

CREC is delighted that the Squirrels Programme, with which we were so deeply involved as an evaluator and developer, continues to grow and thrive and hope this high level support shines a further light on the benefits it can bring. buff.ly/lYZCpYJ #Squirrels #Scouts #Trump #PrincessKate #Melania

Ruth Swailes and Aaron Bradbury argue for a fresh perspective on the developmental milestones children are anticipated to achieve by the end of Reception, emphasising that children's growth cannot always be quantified through scores:

Top tier of earners benefit most from funded childcare; see report: buff.ly/mmvPDOW #EarlyYears #ChildcareFunding #EarlyChildhood

🧒📄 We’re proud to be part of support today from over 120 charities for two key amendments to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill calling for: ✅ A duty on Ministers to consider children’s rights in decisions on children’s wellbeing, social care or education ✅ Mandatory CRIAs 📄 bit.ly/3VIROGF

📢 120+ charities have united to urge the UK Government to put children’s rights at the heart of law and policymaking. 🗞️ Read more: bit.ly/3Vj5lVp #ChildrensRights #ChildrensWellbeingAndSchoolsBill

How to apply for 30 hours government funded childcare for working parents and find out if you’re eligible; a helpful guide to share with families: buff.ly/LjPnkYS #EarlyYearsFunding #EYFS #ChildcareFunding

Check out the support for embedding children’s rights in policymaking 👇 With 120+ organisations signed on, this is a powerful call to use the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill as an opportunity to make children’s rights a routine part of policymaking. Read more: bit.ly/3VIROGF #ChildrensRights

This part-time MA programme is for Early Years practitioners. It's designed to be studied alongside your daily work and build on the professional knowledge you already have. Find out more: buff.ly/NiihhIU #MA #CREC #EarlyChildhood #EarlyYears #EYFS