POLICY
In case you missed it…
We take a look at some of the key policy updates from the past month
Bold and bright books most visually engaging for babies
Research from the University of Sussex’s Baby Lab has found that babies are most “visually engaged” by bright colours, clashing contrast and bold shapes. The research, which recorded the eye movements of 54 babies between two and 12 months while they were shown board and picture books, challenges the belief that monochrome books are best for babies aged 12 months and under.
Strengthening families with group support sessions
Parenting programmes can improve wellbeing for families from diverse backgrounds, research from University College London has found. During the five-year study, 674 parents and carers of children aged three to 18, from disadvantaged and ethnically diverse communities across England, attended weekly group sessions on topics such as emotional social skills, disciplining and parent-child relationships.
Dolls outperform tablets
Research by Cardiff University has found that playing with dolls can help children reach key milestones in development, empathy and social understanding. The six-week study, in which parents of children were asked to keep play diaries after being either assigned a doll or a tablet with pre-loaded games, found that children were more likely to play socially and use language expressing emotions when playing with dolls compared with tablets.
Government urged to act now to tackle nursing crisis
The Association of British Paediatric Nurses (ABPN) has called for government to address staffing shortages among children’s nurses. To raise staffing numbers, the association has called for investment in training and professional development, greater support for the wellbeing of healthcare professionals and an expansion of community-based child health services to improve early intervention and preventative care.
Children in Need commits to early years
Children in Need has published its new early years strategy. Linking to the government's Best Start in Life mission, the charity said it aims to use it to "strengthen the support babies and young children receive from birth to the start of school". Key features of the strategy, which was published within its Impact Report, includes increasing investment in early years family support and play-based interventions, targeted provision to reduce inequalities and championing early years learning and evidence.
Under 5 magazine
The magazine of the Early Years Alliance