Pedagogy and Practice from Birth to Three-Year-Olds

Children’s experiences in the early months and years of life can affect their health and well-being for the rest of their life. Caring, nurturing, and safe experiences in settings can help to ensure children are offered the best possible opportunities to learn and develop.​

Understanding child development can help you know what to expect and what you can do to help children grow in a healthy way. In the early years of life, children’s behaviour communicates their needs and how they are changing and growing. Listening to children’s unique cues can help you support them through their years of very rapid growth and development.​

All early years development is important but the first three years is the most sensitive for a child’s developing brain and body. Decades of research has shown that babies and toddlers thrive when they have loving, responsive interactions in their earliest years. Supporting positive interactions with children can produce long-term benefits not only for children and their families, but also for society.​

This page has been developed to support providers who are either expanding provision or currently work with children from birth to three-year-olds and would like some further advice, training or guidance.

If you are a provider looking for specific support around birth to three years pedagogy and practice you may be interested in purchasing a package of support via the CambsEYC Membership Offer. For further information please contact your early years adviser.​

Continuing professional development (CPD)

We have introduced a higher-level learning course 'Using the Toddler Wellbeing Toolkit to Enhance the Well-Being, Education and Development of Birth to Two Year Olds.' This may interest those looking to advance their knowledge by using an enhanced methodology to support the development of high-quality practice across baby and toddler environments. ​

For training and CPD opportunities, please view the CambsEYC Professional Development Programme.​

When a child is between two and three, practitioners must review their progress, and provide parents and carers with a short, written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas. The progress check at age two – non-statutory guidance for the early years foundation stage* can be useful in supporting that assessment.

*Size: 16.9MB File format: pdf

Guidance and resources

Statutory and non-statutory guidance for supporting pedagogy and practice for birth to three-year-olds can be found via the following links: ​

• Birth To 5 Matters – Guidance by the sector, for the sector
• Download or buy a copy – Birth To 5 Matters
• Development Matters
• Development Matters - Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage Size: 24.6MB File format: pdf​
• Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage for childminders ​Size: 422KB File format: pdf
• Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage for group and school providers Size: 483KB File format: pdf​

You may also find the Cambridgeshire County Council Early Years Leaders (PVI) - Knowledge Hub group useful to receive updates and support networking with other leaders in the early years, private and voluntary and independent sectors.