Alliance publishes new essay collection on supporting children and families most in need
by Shannon Pite
The Early Years Alliance has today published an essay collection, entitled No child left behind, exploring the ways in which an early years sector where all children are given the best possible start in life can be built and sustained.
Featuring contributions from a wide range of early years experts, including Nobel-Prize winning academic James Heckman and Dame Cathy Nutbrown, the collection reflects on current sector challenges and outlines the long-term vision of a system underpinned by fairness and equality. The essays span a variety of topics, including supporting children with SEND, embedding anti-racist practice in settings, family support, digital literacy and supporting the early years workforce.
The collection is free to download at .
Commenting, Neil Leitch CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “At the heart of the Early Years Alliance is the belief that all children, regardless of background or circumstance, should be given the best possible start in life. And yet we know that despite positive rhetoric on the power of early intervention over the years, the gap between those children in need of support and their peers continues to widen.
“At a time when there is so much political focus on breaking down barriers to opportunity, this essay collection provides a hopeful and unashamedly ambitious vision of how this could be achieved in practice. We are grateful to each and every one of the contributors for sharing their thoughts, ideas and reflections on this vital topic, and hope that this collection will be the start of many important discussions to come.â€