Early Years Digest

24 March 2026

 

PRESS & MEDIA 

School phone bans not enough to cut screen time alone, researchers say - BBC News

AI toys for children misread emotions and respond inappropriately, researchers warn - BBC News

Revealed - 331 more school nurseries, but councils to take over programme - Schools Week

Expanded hours lowered costs for parents of under-twos, but those with three and four-year-olds see bills rise - Nursery World 

Only half of pre-school parents play with their children everyday - The Times 

 

FEATURE STORIES

Teachers are being forced to parent children as Britain faces school readiness crisis - The Observer

Why early years settings need to reduce noise and 'visual clutter' - Tes Magazine

‘Like zombies’: Epsom head says children must learn human skills - The Times

It’s always been a fight to get children the early years care they deserve. It’s time to fight again - The Guardian

 

RESEARCH & POLICY DEVELOPMENT

RESEARCH: New research shows the number of babies having screen time every day - Independent

GET INVOLVED: The Forum will be made up of 15 people working across service delivery, product innovation, research, campaigning, commissioning, policy making and politics - Stay Strong Early Childhood Forum

 

PODCASTS, WEBINARS & MORE

PODCAST:
A Better Start podcast: Reframing School Readiness - The National Children's Bureau

WEBINAR: Exploring School Readiness Webinar 26 March - Learning with Parents

WEBINAR: Focus on SEND reform in early years with the Early Education Minister, 22 April - DfE  

JOBS

Head of Monitoring and Evaluation - ALLCHILD

 

 

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