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

We and 120 other organisations are backing 2 key amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, debated in the Lords on Thurs. Led by @crae_official, @UNICEF_uk & @NSPCC Find out more: bit.ly/3VIROGF #EYFS #WellbeingAndSchoolsBill

CREC, in collaboration with University of Wolverhampton, invite Reception teachers and Early Years leads to attend a free CPD event and workshop to explore assessment in the Reception Year. Find out more and sign up here: buff.ly/TYsJ5h9 @beynetworks.bsky.social #CREC #EarlyYears #EYFS

At CREC we believe child development is an integral part of initial teacher training and it was a pleasure to join associate teachers at Severn Teaching Alliance in Telford and unpick ‘childhood’ and discuss the physical, social, emotional and cognitive aspects of child development. #Childhood

Huge congratulations to our current dissertation students who have just submitted; undertaking part time study whilst working within our sector requires passion and determination. Interested in our MA course? Find out more: buff.ly/NiihhIU #MA #EarlyYears #Postgraduate

The CREC Learning Circle is on tonight - www.crec.co.uk/learning-cir... #LearningCircle #CREC #Community #EarlyEducation

Ofsted confirms alterations to the assessment process for early education and introduces updated report cards\: buff.ly/mh1L0t3 #Ofsted #InspectionChanges #OfstedChanges #EarlyEducation

The MA in Early Years Education, led by Professors Chris Pascal and Tony Bertram, is offered by the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC). To find out more about the MA and to book a session with the programme lead: buff.ly/NiihhIU #CREC #MA

Analysis indicates that low-income families not qualifying for the government program will face higher costs for early childhood education: buff.ly/vhscvgn #FundedChildcare #EarlyYears #ChildcareFunding

The Education Committee's are investigating the Early Years sector. The inquiry is currently open to receiving evidence. Submissions can be made until Friday, October 10, 2025. Find out more and make your contribution here: buff.ly/BYsVuU2 #EarlyYears #EYFS #ContributionsNeeded

🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The importance of the learning community when studying with CREC: You don't just become a student, you become part of a community of practice, where you can learn and grow together with your peers. 🌐 Find out more about our MA Ed (Early Years) here: buff.ly/ec4Iox9 #MA #CREC #EarlyYears

***Become a Member of the Sector Advisory Panel for Early Education and Childcare Coalition*** Discover more about this opportunity and submit your application here: buff.ly/Gt5euqs

CREC, in collaboration with University of Wolverhampton, invite Reception teachers and Early Years leads to attend a free CPD event and workshop to explore assessment in the Reception Year. Find out more and sign up here: buff.ly/TYsJ5h9 #CREC #EarlyYears #EYFS #ReceptionTeacher #EYFS

Birmingham Early Years Networks are recruiting; find out more and apply here: buff.ly/vqNSbav #NewJob #BrumJobs #Birmingham #EarlyYears #EYFS

New article in the journal Nature: The role of parental health knowledge and practices in mitigating obesity risks among preschool children buff.ly/q3mpj9b #EarlyChildhood #Preschool #Obesity

Grandparents looking after their grandchildren during the holidays is part of a growing trend driven by the cost of living, experts have said: buff.ly/G02OEMn #SummerHolidays

Are our youngest children getting the best start, or are many starting school already behind? In this episode of IFS Zooms In, Helen Miller discusses this with Christine Farquharson and Carey Oppenheim. t.co/Kg1o9YmSDp #EarlyEducation #EarlyYears

⌛ 1 month to go before applications close! 🧑‍🏫 CREC's MA Education (early years) is designed for those working in the field of early childhood and associated services. 👀 Find out more and apply here: buff.ly/pCDSwDc #MA #BCU #Postgraduate #EarlyChildhood #CREC #Birmingham #EarlyYears

A great opportunity for an Early Years expert: buff.ly/j9ojR8i #EarlyYears #BirthTo5Matters #EarlyEducation #EarlyYearsCoalition

5️⃣ The flexibility afforded to our MA cohort is one of the reasons it's so popular. With just 5 face-to-face days a year, you can fit it in around existing committments. 🌐 Find out more about our MA Ed (Early Years) here: buff.ly/ec4Iox9 #MA #CREC #EarlyYears #BCU #Birmingham #WestMidlands

Good workforce policies alone are not enough without sufficient funding - report buff.ly/bfZuX9l #EarlyYearsPolicy #EYFS #Childcare #EarlyEducation

Current student Lucy discusses her research: buff.ly/iqI2QPR If you'd like to find out more about the CREC MA Ed (Early Years) you can do so here: buff.ly/JY8XRMw #CREC #MA #EarlyYears #Education #EarlyEducation

Campaigners and parents are advocating for more uniformity across England to permit summer-born children to postpone starting Reception. A new analysis reveals that the success of families requesting a delayed start varies significantly based on their location. More here: buff.ly/Hapw3bJ #Reception

The government has extended the National Breastfeeding Helpline- helping ensure more mothers across the UK can access dedicated breastfeeding support 24 hours a day. buff.ly/qycFmte #First1001Days #Breastfeeding #EarlyChildhood #EYFS

New wave of “Do Something Big” campaign launches to encourage more men to join the early years workforce. Find out more: buff.ly/IeChzRP #EarlyYears #Childcare #EarlyEducation #MenInChildcare

The Department for Education has revealed that new early years employees in 38 local councils will be eligible for a £1,000 signing bonus. More details can be found here: buff.ly/lZTXB2X #EarlyYearsStaff #StaffingCrisis #EarlyChildhood

👩‍🎓 Broaden your horizons with an MA Ed (Early Years) with CREC, just like Kay: 🌐 Find out more about our MA Ed (Early Years) here: buff.ly/ec4Iox9 #MA #CREC #EarlyYears #BCU #Birmingham #WestMidlands #PostGraduateStudy #EYFS #EarlyChildhood

DfE confirms early years funding pass-through rate for local authorities will rise to 97% in 2026: read more: buff.ly/P4eopWi

Leadership and management positions within the field of early childhood education continue to suffer from a lack of adequate diversity. Zoe and Marcus Davy, who run Shape Nurture Solutions, are examining approaches to address this issue. Further details can be found at buff.ly/YUGmnu5 #EarlyYears

Lucy, Angela and Angharad talk about the benefits of doing an MA with CREC, including the peer support and community of practice. buff.ly/6YKyAEd If you'd like to find out more about the CREC MA Ed (Early Years) you can do so here: buff.ly/JY8XRMw #CREC #MA #Postgraduate #EarlyChildhood

A number of MPs used the recent statement from Bridget Phillipson to raise issues relating to rural delivery and the need for equitable access to services across all geographies. You can find more details at buff.ly/wMALAvH #RuralCommunities #EarlyEducation #BestStartInLife

From Dr Helen Lyndon: "The International Froebel Society Conference took place in Efhurt, Germany last week. I was delighted to represent CREC and the Froebel Partnership on this trip and received some valuable feedback on our ongoing work" #FroebelTrust #FroebelConference #Froebel #CREC

😎 CREC will remain open through the summer however due to staff taking periods of annual leave there may not always be someone in the office. The only week when all staff will be away from their desks is w/c 24th August when we will be working at the EECERA conference in Slovakia. #SummerHolidays

📝MA student Kay Davey on the joy of pursuing one's passion despite the challenges of juggling study, work and family life. 👶 Interested in pursuing your own passions in Early Years research? Find out more about our MA Ed (Early Years) here: buff.ly/ec4Iox9 #MA #CREC #EarlyYears #BCU #Birmingham

Read our interview with early years minister @stephenmorganmp.bsky.social about the DfE's drive to recruit more men in #earlyyears www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news...

The latest phase of the government’s early years recruitment campaign will focus on increasing the number of male educators working in early years settings, the Department for Education has announced. Read more: bit.ly/3Hdjujm

Wonderful to share the Wolverhampton University Graduation Ceremony 2025 with our two CREC PhD Graduands Dr Louise Hannan and Dr June O'Sullivan! What a happy event it was! Many congratulations to the new Drs. What an achievement! 🎉

EECERA Conference 2025 – Guest Blog #3: A moral classroom management approach: www.eecera.org/general/eece... #EECERA #EarlyChildhood

"Children’s nutrition is central to wellbeing and potential, and core to any quality learning environment. It should never be an optional extra, but an essential element for achievement and learning" Read more from James Hempshall: buff.ly/kfG26Ef #Nutrition #FSM #FreeSchoolMeals