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Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub Sign Up Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs will support other early years settings in the designated areas to improve outcomes for children in their local area across the EYFS, but specifically focusing on areas of development that research informs us have been most impacted by COVID-19: personal social and emotional development (PSED); communication and language, and early literacy and mathematics. Each Hub is led by a group-based (school-based, private, voluntary, or independent) early years provider. (Please check your inbox Junk folder for blocked correspondence). * Indicates required question Email Name Local Authority your setting is based in: School / Setting name Setting Postcode Setting URN number: What best describes your role in the Setting Choose an option What best describes your Setting Choose an option Which area would your setting like support with? * Обязательно Communication and Language Literacy Mathematics Other Which Social Media channels would you like to see our information on? * Обязательно Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Whatsapp Other Would you like to subscribe to our monthly newsletter? * Обязательно Yes No I understand that by signing up on this form, my contact details will be kept by Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub at Everton Nursery School and Children's Centre. Your details will be kept for the purpose of sending emails and newsletters. I agree Submit Thanks for subscribing! Please check your inbox Junk folder for blocked correspondence Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Our aim as an Early Years Stronger Practice Hub will be to share communication and language and literacy programmes initially. Please keep checking back as we aim to provide recorded and live webinars and face to face drop in's and twilights regarding the programmes we will offer. In the meantime look at the programmes on offer through the Department for Education (DfE): https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/ New Maths Champions 2025 Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment The following information and documents will provide you with an insight of the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs working with the Education Endowment Foundation A flexible way for settings to engage with various online recordings Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub, have introduced a flexible way for settings to engage with various online recordings. Feedback from Local Authorities highlighted Communication and Language development as a continued key priority, so this has been the focus of the CPD resource. The resource provides flexibility to suit all educators, whether refreshing their knowledge or exploring communication and language in more depth for the first time. Childminders plan to use the recordings during network meetings to encourage good practice and discussion. Similarly, other settings can incorporate the recordings into INSET days or staff meetings. To support this, there is a written INSET template for those who prefer this delivery format. This resource will be a valuable tool to support evidence-informed practice, encourage professional dialogue, and promote the effective sharing of knowledge across early years settings. If you would like the recording that accompanies this inset resource please email sphubnw@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk providing us with your name, setting name, postcode and Local Authority your setting is registered with. Early Education Journal Early Education published a Journal issue on Cultures of Sustainability in Summer 2024. The journal started a conversation exploring sustainability, referenced by Jan White in the editorial. This issue is a follow on from that one, building on the articles and educators’ experiences of sustainability in practice. Communication and Language A short INSET template to use with your team which will support professional development to improve practice and outcomes for children. Early Years Pupil Premium | EEF - Education Endowment Foundation The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) has one aim: to improve outcomes for socio-economically disadvantaged children from 9 months upwards. In April 2025, the Department for Education (DfE) increased funding for the EYPP by 45% to £570 per child per year. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/pupil-premium A School’s Guide to Implementation Maximise the impact of new approaches and practices. educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk A School's Guide 1 A School's Guide 2 Early Mathematics The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years-evidence-store/early-mathematics Early Years Evidence Store https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/support-for-schools/evidence-for-the-early-years/early-years-evidence-store Support to help you put evidence-informed approaches into practice. educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk Early Years Toolkit A summary of the best available evidence on key areas for learning and development Early Years Toolkit | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Preparing for Literacy Seven recommendations to support improving early language and literacy Preparing for Literacy | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Early Literacy The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. EEF | Early Literacy (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment The hub offers free advice, support and training to childminders across Liverpool City Region and Beyond. We are aiming to set up Peer to Peer Childminder Support and Play Sessions for Children. Please join our mailing list to be kept informed of future events and launches, newsletters and availability for training dates and drop-in sessions. If you would like to be involved or have suggestions, please let us know. Online Childminder Network which is the last Saturday morning 10a.m. – 11.30a.m. of every month: CHILDMINDER DROP IN Deysbrook Network: Everton Nursery School and Family Centre, Spencer Street, Liverpool, L6 2WF Held every Wednesday 9.30- 11.30am Hunts Cross Network: St Hilda’s Church Hall, Stuart Avenue, Hunts Cross L25 0NG Held every Wednesday 9.30-11.30am Kendal Network: Beck Community Centre, 20 Esthwaite Avenue, Kendal LA9 7NZ Held every Thursday 9.30 – 11.30am Bromborough Childminder Network: Bromborough Family Hub, Gratrix Road, Wirral CH62 7BW Held Thursdays 9.30 – 11.30 am What is a Childminder Drop In? The childminder drop-in sessions provide local childminders with an opportunity to access up to date information, recourses, face to face support, support from a member of the hub team and for childminders to share best practices. The group offers the children a multitude of benefits including enhanced social, emotional, and cognitive development, improved communication skills and opportunities to access larger play equipment to promote physical development. The facilities provide a safe space where childminders can organise events, celebrations and provide larger scale structured activities for the children which in turn supports transitions to school. Liverpool City Region and beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Childminder Network Meetings Held every last Saturday of each month for Teams Link see the monthly newsletter. The aim of the Monthly meetings is to keep childminders up to date with local / national changes, information sharing, identify training needs and give general help and advice. Should you want to have anything specific added to the agenda please email the Stronger Practice Hub on sphubnw@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk WELLCOMM BAGS If you are a Liverpool Childminder and wish to borrow a Wellcomm bag to use with your children, email the sph email as we can support you and loan a Wellcomm bag to you for a period of time. CHILDMINDER RESOURCE BAGS Calling all SPH Network Members….. FREE Resource bags coming soon, funded by the SPH this is a fantastic opportunity for Childminders. Each bag of carefully selected items will be a welcome addition to your setting which in turn supports your children’s development. Each resource bag is designed to be used individually, with a group of childminder colleagues and shared as a lending library. In the next few weeks you can apply for resources that cover Communication and Language, Early Maths and Story Comprehension including a selection of various quality Story Sacks. Also included will be Outdoor and Nature, Habitats and Musicical Instruments bags. Look out for the launch coming the end of April/early May depending on your location within Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub…. Literacy Blog, written for Childminders by June Cargill Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Sign-up to receive our Newsletter on the second week of each month. Will aim to provide practical information from educators across the Liverpool City Region and Beyond as well as information from the Department for Education and Education Endowment Foundation. See below for previous editions. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LIVERPOOL CITY REGION AND BEYOND EARLY YEARS STRONGER PRACTICE HUB MAILING LIST Sign-up to receive news from our Hub by email, including upcoming courses and events, links to additional resources, and more! Subscribe LCR Newsletter Jan 2026 LCR Newsletter Oct 2025 LCR Newsletter July 2025 LCR Newsletter April 2025 LCR Newsletter Jan 2025 LCR Newsletter Oct 2024 LCR Newsletter July 2024 LCR Newsletter April 2024 LCR Newsletter Jan 2024 LCR Newsletter Dec 2025 LCR Newsletter Sept 2025 LCR Newsletter June 2025 LCR Newsletter March 2025 LCR Newsletter Dec 2024 LCR Newsletter Sept 2024 LCR Newsletter June 2024 LCR Newsletter Mar 2024 LCR Newsletter Dec 2023 LCR Newsletter Nov 2025 LCR Newsletter Feb 2026 LCR Newsletter August 2025 LCR Newsletter May 2025 LCR Newsletter Feb 2025 LCR Newsletter Nov 2024 LCR Newsletter August 2024 LCR Newsletter May 2024 LCR Newsletter Feb 2024 LCR Newsletter Nov 2023 Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Learning Leads application information. New Early Years Learning Lead Opportunities – Coming September 2026 We are pleased to share new Department for Education roles coming to Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs from September 2026. These new Early Years Learning Lead roles are advertised below, strengthening sector-led support and professional practice in three key areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): Communication and Language (4 days per week), Mathematics (3 days per week) and Personal, Social and Emotional Development (2 days per week). Are you an experienced Early Years Leader or Setting Manager ready for your next professional challenge? As an Early Years Learning Lead, you will facilitate high-quality Department for Education (DfE) approved Continual Professional Development (CPD) for practitioners, provide specialist subject support to Early Years settings, and engage in regional and national networking with fellow professionals. Your expertise and passion will be instrumental in driving excellence and innovation across the sector. Early Years Learning Lead Application Pack Communication and Language Lead (4 days per week): Promote language-rich environments, develop practitioner knowledge and support communication development for all children. Mathematics Lead (3 days per week): Champion mathematical learning and development, supporting practitioners to embed numeracy and spatial reasoning in everyday practice. Personal, Social and Emotional Lead (PSED 2 days per week): Lead initiatives which support practitioners to foster children’s emotional wellbeing, social skills and resilience within Early Years settings. These roles will be contracted by the Stronger Practice Hub (SPH) with an allocated day rate of £500/day and are funded up until March 2028 in the first instance, with the possibility of contracts being extended dependent on funding. All roles are for 38 weeks of the year (term-time) and can be undertaken in one of two ways: Being paid directly as a self-employed contractor / consultant or By agreed release from your existing role, with payment be made to your setting for your release These newly created roles offer an opportunity for experienced early years professionals to influence practice, support continuous improvement, and work collaboratively with settings across their local area. Click on the links below if you wish to apply for any of the roles. Closing date: Monday 1st June 2026, 12 noon Shortlisting and notification of invite to interview: Tuesday 9th June 2026 Interviews will be held on: Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th June 2026. To apply, please complete the EOI, and email it to: SpHubNW@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment CONCEPT CAT By Alex Gower-Jones. Dr Diane Boyd talks to Tracie Dowling about the role of the Strategic Childminder Lead at Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub Strategic Role Are you looking to spend your Early Years Pupil Premium strategically? See our Resource 'Maximising the Impact of Pupil Premium in the Early Years' Reddish Vale Nursery School Blog Becoming physical development champions and beyond…. Let’s talk about books: A case study on interactive reading By Alex Gower-Jones. The benefits of outdoor play How childminders use outdoor spaces to enhance children’s learning outcomes. By Tracie Dowling. Exploring Understanding the world By Michelle Bennett. A Reflective Conversation By Emma Louise Scott, Maria Edge and Dr Diane Boyd The Garden Classroom ENGAGING GROWTH WITH ‘THE GARDEN CLASSROOM’ By Tracie Dowling Lost Words ‘Lost words’ reflected through the three pillars of sustainability and the SDGs. By Diane Boyd NELI Preschool programme Craig Bolton, Headteacher at East Prescot Road Nursery School, Liverpool, introduces the NELI Preschool programme. East Prescot Road Nursery School is a partner of the Stronger Practice Hub. Supporting self-regulation in the early years By Amanda Quirk Childminder Case Study By Julie Ellis Deysbrook Childminding Network By Tracie Dowling Autumn the time of apples and apple Juice! By Dr Diane Boyd Sharing gifted resource bags Childminding Network Video blogs 1. Everton Nursery Teacher Kate Doyle and Dr Diane Boyd present The Authentic development of a Sensory Garden through the 17 SDGs

Liverpool City Region and beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Blogs Childminders Programmes Documents Subscribe Early Years Professional Development Programme Newsletters Recruitment Recruitment Posted 27th September 2023 Dear Candidates, We have started a recruitment drive to attract additional Early Years Experts and Mentors for the remaining two terms of the Programme. Skills we’re looking for Applicants must have: at least 3 years’ experience and if working in a settings it must be Ofsted rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ (or equivalent independent school inspection rating) a level 6 or above early years qualification Applicants may be working in: schools nursery schools private, voluntary, or independent (PVI) nurseries other early years settings early years roles within local authorities, universities, or similar organisations If you have colleagues who you think would be interested in applying for a role in the programme please direct them to this page on our website. It can be accessed here: Apply for EOI Expert or EOI Mentor Role Contact Email: SpHubNW@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk The closing date for application is Friday October 13th 2023 Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Do something BIG, work with small children - early years recruitment campaign now live! The Department for Education’s early years and childcare recruitment campaign is now live: ‘Do something BIG. Work with small children.’ The campaign aims to raise the profile of the sector and showcase the important contribution made by early years professionals in preparing young children for school and beyond. It is a multi-channel broadcast campaign, running across TV, cinema, social media, online, radio and out of home advertising to boost interest in the sector and support the recruitment of talented staff. The campaign will point people to a newly launched early years careers website which includes information on the opportunities out there to build a fulfilling career in nurseries, pre-schools or as a childminder. ACTION 1: Upload vacancies to Find a job The campaign and website direct users to DWP’s Find a job platform (which is free to use) to search for roles in their area. We want to ensure as many roles as possible are available to potential applicants in one place. We therefore strongly encourage you to ensure all current or upcoming roles in your setting are listed on Find a Job. Please watch these video tutorials to help you create an employer account and post your jobs. You should use the term ‘early years’ in the title of your job adverts and select ‘Education jobs’ for the job category. This will ensure your vacancies are seen by a large pool of potential candidates. ACTION 2: Help us to promote the campaign We’d be grateful for any support you can offer in promoting the campaign locally. Please use the dropbox of campaign assets to amplify the campaign across your networks and tag all social posts with #DoSomethingBig. The campaign TV advert can also be accessed here . We’ll also be sharing a campaign toolkit with you shortly that contains further assets you can download and use for your own promotional and recruitment needs. If you have any questions about the campaign, please email earlyyears.careers@education.gov.uk . Foundation Years is funded by the Department for Education and brought to you by Coram Family and Childcare and Hempsall's. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Literacy Blog, written for Childminders By June Cargill (Childminder) As an Ofsted Registered Childminder with 29 years of experience in the Early Years Sector I know we are unique, being flexible for parents, with a development rich opportunity to offer life experiences and activities in readiness for children to attend school and become adults. Experiences in the first years of a child’s life are crucial and it is an honour to have that in our hands every day, nurturing, caring and sparking children’s imagination, interests and passions…… seeing them flourish and grow is a privilege to behold and we should, quite rightly feel proud. I also appreciate that working with the under-fives can sometimes be intuitive. We know what stages children should be at their expected development ages and that the diversity rich activities and experiences we give children encourage future skills for their next steps. Understanding in depth why we do what we do can be crucial to be able to reflect and review on our own setting as well as working with parents when we identify possible challenges and development delays. Our ongoing personal development is key to broaden our understanding of children’s development, learn new key findings from research undertaken for the early years and broaden our depth of understanding on children’s learning outcomes. There is an absolute wealth of evidence based information, videos, case studies and examples for best practice available you can read at your own pace, but did you know that researching, investigating and using the Education Endowment Foundation EEF Evidence Store shows that you are reflecting on your setting so make sure you add these to your personal development record. What does the evidence say? The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK refers to The Development Matters document, a non-statutory curriculum guidance…… ”It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing)” Development Matters - Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage The Education Endowment Foundation Evidence Store also highlights the definition of Early Literacy Early Years | EEF “Literacy describes a range of complex skills. It includes the word-level skills of both word reading and spelling and the text-level skills of reading comprehension and writing composition. The overall aim of these skills is for an author to effectively communicate their message and for a reader to understand it. These literacy skills (word reading, spelling, reading comprehension, and writing composition) rely, to some extent, on the same underlying processes and are therefore linked. Learning to be a reader and writer relies on three broad underlying skills or areas of learning: speech, language, and communication skills; physical development, particularly fine motor skills; and executive function skills, including working memory and speed of retrieval from memory. The extent to which these processes are involved differs between aspects of reading and writing and at different points during literacy development. Educators working with early years children play a pivotal role in laying the foundations for literacy by facilitating the development of the skills above, helping children learn how to engage these processes so they work together and, in the latter part of the early years phase, teaching knowledge specifically for literacy (for example, letter-sounds and features of books). EEF | Early Literacy Approaches that support communication and language are fundamental to supporting children’s early literacy. Children with language weaknesses may need more support with such skills to facilitate their literacy learning. Children with language weaknesses include those with a language impairment and may include children with English as an additional language or those from lower income families. Educators should use their own professional judgement and seek additional guidance when applying early literacy approaches to these groups of children. These approaches that the Evidence Store referred to are as follows; I have added examples from my own practice to help unpick what may be unfamiliar words or reference: 1. Interactive reading: actions within the context of shared reading that encourage children to become an active participant in ‘reading’ the book; “Seeing children who are eager lead their own story time, we must recognise this is such an important part of their development. Seeing proof that our story times are fun, interactive and having an impact on their love of books is so rewarding. Having books accessible to children as a continuous provision and making “quiet areas” so children can take the opportunity to sit and look through books is an essential part of any setting. Try and identify a favourite book that children return to which can then assist planning for children’s next steps in Literacy and other development areas” 2. Teaching sound discrimination: supporting children to identify sounds and notice similarities and differences between individual sounds and groups of sounds; “My minded children love interactive sessions when we explore sounds, from their first letter of their name to practice pronunciation or rhyming words that extend their vocabulary but can end up made up words eg Bee, Me, Pee, Fee or Honey, Funny, Punny, Tunny. Satisfaction knowing you can not only extend children’s word knowledge but hear evidence when children giggle at words they understand are not real”. 3. Teaching sound manipulation: supporting children to break down, combine, and change sounds; Again like sounds, using rhyming word string is helpful and I enjoy using clapping to help identify syllables not only during adult let activities but throughout the day to help them “decode” words but I have found the children enjoy this approach and are eager participants. Children love the fact that I only get one clap for my name! Not only will you extend and introduce words like Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus and Tyrannosaurus instead of Rhino, Hippo or TRex but the opportunities to explore syllables are limitless. 4. Teaching sound-letter mapping: learning the written letters (graphemes) that go with particular letter-sounds (phonemes); “This is difficult to map the impact with mapping as evidence shows that children must have a good understanding of sound discrimination and manipulation but in my experience word labels, a self -registration board, name tags and resource labels are an important part of my setting. I can reflect that children that then move to pre-school can all recognise their printed name and are good at recognising printed words in their community 5. Teaching mark-making and letter formation: adults support children to use tools to make marks that represent their thoughts and ideas: “Communication, Language and Physical Development play a huge role in mark making, letter formation and Interactive writing. We all know that a young child who is unable to use palmar, tripod grip or with limited gross movements effectively can impact on all areas of Literacy in their future development. 6. Teaching sound-letter mapping: learning the written letters (graphemes) that go with particular letter-sounds (phonemes); “This is difficult to map the impact with mapping as evidence shows that children must have a good understanding of sound discrimination and manipulation but in my experience word labels, a self -registration board, name tags and resource labels are an important part of my setting. I can reflect that children that then move to pre-school can all recognise their printed name and are good at recognising printed words in their community What can we do? Given literacy’s reliance on other areas of learning, practitioners should be aware of a child’s development in all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) essential to Early Literacy. We recognise that most of a child’s learning is in their home, we support and observe their development so working with parents is a major part of our role. Difficult conversations can take place when we identify a possible delay and parents do not agree or may be reluctant to see an issue. This can be difficult if as practitioners, we refer to development delays in a negative way. To inform parents that their child cannot use palmar grip effectively to hold a crayon in mark making, use one handed tools in play or mealtimes can counterproductive for their support at home. Negative communication with parents can be detrimental to parents understanding. Instead of stating what a child cannot do something use positive communication, saying that you are concentrating on palmar grip in all areas of play, independence and for meal times explaining, in turn this will develop the child’s ability to use one handed tools effectively, which in turn give them the hand strength abilities to start using mark making and writing skills…. helping parents see the goal you are supporting their child for. Offering suggestions for activities for example nursery rhyme bags, story sacks and books, suggest practical examples how parents can correct or encourage for example how the child holds a spoon and turn pages in a book. Send photographs during the day to see the activities first hand, offer information sheets or resources to borrow. Childminders are unique in knowing not only our children but their families too and can draw on this knowledge to adapt our strategy for home learning support. We know our families and in March 2025 the Government published “18% of children in working families were in low income” Households Below Average Income: an analysis of the UK income distribution: FYE 1995 to FYE 2024 - GOV.UK Knowing our families so well we can understand that buying resources and books could be difficult as well as finding “free” time outside of their working days so by way of sharing resources and ideas as well as embedding an Early Literacy rich environment in our setting is crucial. We also need to be aware of our community and the impact that can have on our minded children from English as an additional language, Areas of Deprivation, poverty and local areas of learning from parks, museums, places of interest and their accessibility for your minded children. I have added some further reading, evidence based practical information and Personal Development suggestions I hope you find useful and remember, log on your personal development 😊 References Early Years Foundation Stage Framework for Childminders EYFS statutory framework for childminders Development Matters Development Matters - Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage Government Help for Early Years Providers Help for early years providers : Areas of learning The Education Endowment Foundation Evidence Store Early Years | EEF https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/evidence-store/early-literacy The Governments Free Early Years Child Development Training with 7 modules to access at your own pace Early years child development training : Home page Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Sharing gifted resource bags Kendal Childminding Network Sharing how resource bags gifted by Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub have made an impact to a childminder network. How did you use the resource bag? Thank you so much for the resource box that Tracie (Strategic Childminder Support Lead) brought to our Network Drop in at Beck Community Centre in Kendal. We used the ‘Owl Babie’s’ story sack within the drop in while Tracie was with us. The children absolutely loved the story and used the fabulous puppets. We extended the activity by playing ‘sleeping owls’ then flying around and swooping down to picking up toys to put them away for tidy up time. Please share further information on how the resource bag supported your setting and how the resource bag may inspire or support other childminders? Every week each childminder will take home a different resource bag to share with their minded children and then swap the following week. They will also take it in turns to use a bag within the drop in, for the activity and swap ideas to extend activities within the bags. What impact did this resource bag have on the learning of the children in your setting? The children and childminders absolutely enjoyed using the story sack. Everyone joined in, got excited, had fun and laughed all the way through the story. They learnt all about why babies get upset when their mummy leaves them. It promoted discussion about emotions including how they felt that morning being dropped off at their childminders. The children talked about cuddling their childminders for reassurance and how they felt safe. Some of the children cuddled each other, others cuddled the owls. The children pretended to be sleeping baby owls, when woken they flew around swooping and diving down, before going back to sleep to do the actions again. After the session the children all helped to put the contents back into the bag ready for next time. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Blogs Childminders Programmes Documents Subscribe Early Years Professional Development Programme Newsletters Recruitment Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYDP) https://www.earlyyearspdp.com/ I cannot recommend the Early Years Professional Development Programme enough to any early years practitioner whether they are new to the sector or have many years of experience. Being able to adapt ideas from the training and talking to colleagues on the webinar has been invaluable. Understanding children’s depth of knowledge in Early Maths has allowed me to enhance activities allowing me to see the immediate, positive impact on their learning. Ten simple hints and tips could make any setting become “language rich” and the ability to spot and fix communication “cold spots” personally I am so glad I signed up. June Cargill Ofsted Registered Outstanding Childminder Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice