A new website has launched to support regional networks of early years practitioners in England to share knowledge, effective practice and evidence-based approaches.
The Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme is part of the Department for Education (DfE)’s £180m Early Years Education Covid-19 Recovery Package and is delivered on behalf of the DfE by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB).
The 18 Hubs (two in each of the government office regions in England) provide advice, share good practice and offer evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners.
The new website will allow early years practitioners to find their local Hub from a drop-down list or by navigating a clickable map of England and access the latest information from that Hub on upcoming events and development programmes, as well as tried and tested resources and approaches.
The site will also feature information about the programme itself as well as access to other related DfE programmes and the Early Years Evidence Store created by the DfE’s evidence partner on this programme, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).
EEF supports the Hubs by providing accessible information on the Evidence Store about the evidence around Early Years pedagogy and processes that support practice change. They also are working with Hubs to fund access to evidence-based professional development programmes for Early Years settings.
Each Early Years Stronger Practice Hub supports other early years settings regionally to improve outcomes for children in their local area across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), but specifically focusing on areas of development that research shows have been most impacted by COVID-19: personal social and emotional development (PSED); communication and language, and early literacy and maths.
The first hubs launched in November 2022, with six more announced in July this year, and the programme will be funded until the end of 2024.
If you have questions about the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme, please email the National Children’s Bureau at [email protected]
