Birth to Three Matters
The first three years are those when children have the greatest potential for healthy development. A call by leading academics for the Birth to Three Matters framework to be re-instated is positive recognition of the importance of the first thousand days in a child’s life. The sixteen cards from the framework can be explored below:
A Strong Child
A Skilful Communicator
A Healthy Child
A Competent Learner
Health Matters in Early Childhood
Children are as varied as the families and the circumstances they are born into and a growing body of research points to emerging knowledge about the effects of early experiences on children’s life chances. In fact we know that these begin before birth because ‘what happens during these early years (starting in the womb) has lifelong effects on many aspects of health and well-being from obesity, heart disease and mental health, to educational achievement and economic status’ (Marmot 2010:16)
Marmot Review Summary
Marmot Full Report
Read About How: Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships
Featured Book
This book explores the important role of parents and the extended family in the lives of babies and young children. It complements and extends the DfES Birth to Three Matters framework, which supports practitioners in working with children aged birth to three, and builds on the information provided in the companion book Birth to Three Matters: Supporting the Framework of Effective Practice (Open University Press, 2004).
Written by academics, practitioners and policy makers interested or involved in the development of the Birth to Three Matters framework, this book argues that parent engagement is essential for developing partnerships within communities in order to give children the best start in life, and shows how this can be achieved.
The book:
- Discusses ways in which services may be developed to involve parents more fully in the care and education of babies and young children
- Looks at the powerful role of parents and grandparents in the lives of children
- Considers how skilled practitioners can manage relationships to provide support for both parents and children at difficult times
- Explores the ways in which parents can be helped to fulfil their own needs at the same time as meeting their children’s needs
- Includes discussion of families whose children have special needs or disabilities
Parents Matter is essential reading for early years professionals and students on courses in Early Education, as well as policy makers, professional development trainers, local authority trainers, social workers and health visitors who work with very young children.
