The early years lay the foundations for a child’s future.

High-quality early education and care not only support academic success but also lead to better health and employment outcomes later in life.

We know that the learning gap between socio-economically disadvantaged children and their peers is already 4.6 months, on average, by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The gap continues to widen throughout primary and secondary school.

The additional EYPP funding gives settings a valuable opportunity to narrow the learning gap in the early years through evidence-informed approaches including professional development programmesA programme is a package of support, including professional development, that helps early years educators to improve particular areas of practice and children’s outcomes..

Early intervention – before these gaps grow – is crucial to ensuring every child gets a fair start.

That’s a cause to unite everyone in the early years.

Your EYPP strategy is about boosting the outcomes of socio-economically disadvantaged children so you can narrow the learning gap. Your setting probably includes other children who are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, beyond those who are eligible for the EYPP. Your strategy can meet their needs as well.

An EYPP strategy is not about lengthy written plans and lots of data. Instead, you can set about developing your strategy by reflecting and thinking as a team. Your focus will be improving the outcomes and life chances of disadvantaged children. Leaders and managers can bring a sense of direction to this thinking, to ensure they use EYPP funding effectively. This involves:

• Thoughtful planning to develop a shared vision;
• Taking action and developing the quality of practice;
• Encouraging and supporting teams and checking the planned changes are happening; and
• Checking the changes are having the desired impact and sustaining them long term.