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January 2023: Early Childhood Research Newsletter

Your monthly collection of the latest articles and current research in early childhood.

This month we've focussed on The Centre for Early Childhoods' "Shaping Us" campaign and the importance of early childhood and its lasting impact into adulthood. We bring a varied collection of research and evidence informed practice to develop your pedagogy in early years.


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1. Shaping Us campaign (January 2023)

'Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales has launched a major new awareness raising campaign to increase public understanding of the crucial importance of the first five years of a child’s life. “Shaping Us” is a new long-term campaign from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood which aims to transform the issue from one of scientific interest to one of the most strategically important topics of our time.'


3 key takeaways:

  • "What shapes us makes us"is the main message of the Kate Middleton's (Princess of Wales) campaign launched today (31st January 2023) outlining the importance and impact of healthy relationships for the growing brain and experiences we have with others

  • There are 5 videos accompanying the campaign, delivered by experts in their fields, to explain our developing brain, building social connections, developing our sense of self, managing our emotions and our social network

  • A fictitious character, Layla, is used to symbolise how growing up shapes her future self. You can watch the introductory video below:



 

2. Effects of training parents in dialogic book‐sharing: The Early‐Years Provision in Children's Centers (EPICC) study (2023)

Lynne Murray, Susie Jennings, Hayley Perry, Martin Andrews, Katherine De Wilde, Amber Newell, Alicia Mortimer, Emily Phillips, Xiaonan Liu, Claire Hughes, Edward Melhuish, Leonardo De Pascalis, Corinne Dishington, John Duncan, Peter J Cooper,

Effects of training parents in dialogic book‐sharing: The Early‐Years Provision in Children's Centers (EPICC) study, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Volume 62, 2023, Pages 1-16,

ISSN 0885-2006, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.07.008.


3 key takeaways:

  • "Parental training in ‘dialogic book-sharing’ is deliverable in UK Children's Centers.

  • Training led to large gains in parent book-sharing skills with their 2-to 4-year-olds.

  • Child language and attention showed some benefit of the intervention."



 

3. A Frobelian approach to sewing with young children (2023)

Sharon Imray, Tracy Thomson and Jane Whinnett.


3 key takeaways:

  • This interactive document details how sewing supports autonomous exploration, connecting to Frobelian principles, child development, sustainability and symbolic representation.

  • Written buy 3 experienced headteachers, they explain how sewing supports the development of physical, mathematical and commutation skills and how it weaves into provision opportunities.

  • Practical tips on how to set up sewing provision is outlined in the document to channel children's creative expression.



 

4. Good early years teaching may boost earnings of children in England – study (2023)


3 key takeaways:

  • Research study conducted by Durham University and Department for Education to explore the impact of teaching in early years on later life earnings.

  • "The researchers used assessments of children at the beginning and end of their reception year to identify classes as “effective”, where children made significantly more progress in learning than average. They then used databases tracing pupils’ reception attainment to their GCSE results, linked to DfE data on GCSE results predicting adult earnings, to produce their findings."

  • Teachers in Reception classes can make a real difference.



 

Psst...we are launching our self-study training site soon and want to know what training you'd like us to publish first. Keep an eye on our social channels to cast your vote!


 

Thanks for reading!


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