NCB is uniquely positioned at the crossroads of research, practice and policy to convene and connect across sectors to drive meaningful change from the government's focus on giving children the best start in life.
In July 2025, the government published 'Giving every child the best start in life', its plan to refocus and revitalise family support in the early years and deliver a more inclusive early education and childcare offer.
At the heart of the strategy is the ambition to create Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority in England, with £500m in funding targeted at the most disadvantaged communities, and a target of 75% of five-year-olds reaching a Good Level of Development (GLD) by 2028.
Discover how we can help you to meet the new GLD targets
Building on the legacy of Sure Start, we welcome this vision for early childhood that is rightly focused on narrowing inequalities and providing an inclusive early education offer. Identifying and meeting needs early will not only improve children's outcomes but also ease demand for services later on in the education system.
NCB is uniquely positioned at the crossroads of research, practice and policy to convene and connect across sectors to drive meaningful change from the government's focus on giving children the best start in life.
This section sets out our strategy for the Early Years aligned to our wider five-year organisational plan to Build Brighter Futures, outlines our recommendations for turning the government’s vision into reality and provides a summary of the practical support that we can offer local authorities in improving outcomes for young children and achieving their new GLD targets.
