The government’s school-based nursery programme is a promising initiative, but it’s now facing a reality check on its implementation. To harness the benefits of this policy, the government needs to provide more support to schools, and make sure it is targeted towards those who need it most.

Kids born in the austerity years after the Global Financial Crash much more likely to spend their early years in poverty. Worth clicking into the academic paper this Guardian article is based on. www.cambridge.org/core/journa... @suttontrust.bsky.social

The #SummerReadingChallenge 2026 booklist is here! Read to the Beat! features 55 music-inspired titles for all reading levels – plus brand new illustrations by @harrywoodgate.bsky.social 🎨 Browse the books and find out more: bit.ly/4sqP7aV #ReadToTheBeat

Join the EECC Board and use your expertise to transform early education and childcare. If you share our passion for children and families, system change and collective action, we'd love to hear from you. Apply by 24th April through the link below. www.charityjob.co.uk/volunteer-jo...

Non-Executive Board Directors | Early Education and Childcare Coalition | CharityJob

Apply now for Non-Executive Board Directors. , Unpaid role, expenses paid, find a career with meaning today

charityjob.co.uk

Our #ReadingRights Early Years Summit at @westminsterabbey.bsky.social brought together leaders and professionals to discuss how to make shared reading a reality for every child in every community. Our Policy and Public Affairs Lead @mercsam.bsky.social reflects on the day: https://bit.ly/474acA6

It was wonderful to spend the afternoon at the @booktrust.org.uk Early Years Reading Rights Summit with @oliviabailey.bsky.social and fellow coalition members @eyalliance.bsky.social and LEYF, alongside so many brilliant organisations working to improve outcomes for young children

Tomorrow is World Day of Social Justice, and we are focusing on reading for pleasure. Did you know that reading for pleasure improves language skills, social skills and employability? Read more about how reading tackles poverty www.scottishbooktrust.com/articles/how...

How reading for pleasure can tackle poverty

The benefits of reading—even for a short time each day—are varied and life-changing, from improving employability, language skills, social skills, and family bonding, to reducing stress and anxiety.

scottishbooktrust.com

Data drives change. If you’re a parent, please take a few minutes to add your voice to Coalition member Pregnant Then Screwed’s State of the Nation survey pregnantthenscrewed.typeform.com/SOTN2025?utm...

Pregnant Then Screwed State of The Nation Survey 2025

In collaboration with Women in Data®, Pregnant Then Screwed are gathering your experiences of childcare, flexible working, parental leave, and maternity discrimination in the UK. This third survey wil...

pregnantthenscrewed.typeform.com

We love this @newstatesman1913.bsky.social article about our #Bookstart programmes and the power they have to bring families - and communities - together through the magic of shared reading. Our mission is to make sure the joy of reading is embedded in the life of every family. bit.ly/4pi5UvM

What baby books taught me about the British state

The Bookstart scheme, which gives books to newborns, is a remnant from a more beneficent political era

bit.ly

However, we also know there are barriers that prevent families from reading together. We must overcome this to ensure all children - but particularly the most vulnerable - can benefit from reading. We are excited to share our experience and insight with the inquiry.

We are delighted to hear that the Education Select Committee, chaired by @helenhayes.bsky.social, have launched an inquiry to explore how to keep the joy of reading alive. We believe this starts in the earliest years of childhood. 🧵 committees.parliament.uk/committee/20...

Reading for pleasure – MPs launch new inquiry to explore how to keep joy of reading alive - Committees - UK Parliament

Amid a worrying decline in the number of children reading for pleasure, the Education Committee has launched a new inquiry to understand how reading can be nurtured, and what its benefits are. 

committees.parliament.uk

NEW | The opportunity gap facing boys from low-income families at age 5 and beyond Early attainment gaps mean some boys don't just start behind, they stay behind 📖 Read our latest report from @sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social @nehaldavison.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

The opportunity gap facing boys from low-income families at age 5 and beyond | Institute for Government

Early attainment gaps mean some boys don't just start behind, they stay behind.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Councils are increasingly focussed on acute services (social care, homelessness) used by few people. All the median voter sees is that pot holes arent fixed + libraries are closed. @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social argues that Labour's reelection chances will be harmed if they don't fix council finances

Failing to fix local government could hurt Labour’s re-election chances | Institute for Government

There are signs of severe financial distress in local government.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

"Claiming there is an ‘over-diagnosis’ of our children is a cheap, unchecked attempt to grab a headline." In reality, thousands of families face record waits in a system that makes getting support very difficult. Read our response to Policy Exchange's Out of Control report⬇️ https://bit.ly/47jXHkQ

Speech and Language UK: Policy Exchange’s Out of Control report would strip children of an education and put families out of work

bit.ly

This morning The Guardian has thrown its weight behind the campaign for oracy education. This is an important moment for the oracy movement. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Guardian view on talking in class: the writers speaking up for oracy education are right | Editorial

Editorial: Verbal communication has always been crucial. But today more than ever, young people must be equipped for jobs that can’t be done by machines

theguardian.com

It's great to see @stephenmorganmp.bsky.social opening the #BestStartInLife debate here. Our Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social and Co-CEO @dianajgerald.bsky.social enjoyed meeting Stephen this week to discuss the Best Start in Life and our #ReadingRights campaign.

Stephen Morgan MP@stephenmorganmp.bsky.social · last yr.

Our Best Start in Life strategy will bring together early years and family services, putting children’s first years at the heart of work to improve life chances👇🏻

Thanks so much to @helenhayes.bsky.social for highlighting our #ReadingRights campaign with Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social in the House of Commons yesterday.

Our new report with @cpaguk.bsky.social reveals the worsening impact of child poverty on children’s health and growing strain on health services. One year since the Government’s Child Poverty Taskforce launched, the need for bold action is clearer than ever. 👇 cpag.org.uk/news/child-p...

Can't overstate how much I enjoyed my first @coalitionedcare.bsky.social policy forum. Always love an opportunity to think about the big picture stuff - and, even better when you're doing that thinking with incredibly smart experts across a lot of different technical areas!

BookTrust@booktrust.org.uk · last yr.

It was great to be part of yesterday’s @coalitionedcare.bsky.social policy forum. It’s always so valuable to put our heads together with brilliant organisations from across the sector – especially when so much exciting change is on the horizon! #BestStartInLife

I've been at @booktrust.org.uk 5 months this week! Three favourite moments that stand out: 🗣️ The Reading Rights summit - we brought together so many different sectors to envision a future where every child benefits from shared reading

A mixed picture for the 'best start in life' strand of the Opportunities Mission in the SR today. Welcome news on investment in schools, but early years provision for 0-4yrs is comparably absent - surprising given the PfC milestone commitment for 75% of 5-yr-olds to be school ready by 2028.

📢 NEW: Our #ReadingRights report with Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social is out now! It shares 5 focus areas that will turn the tide on reading inequality and unveils plans for our City of Stories place-based pilot: www.booktrust.org.uk/about-us/rea...

📻 Tune in to Today on BBC Radio 4 now to hear our brilliant Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social discussing the launch of the #ReadingRights report! Read the report here 👇 www.booktrust.org.uk/about-us/rea...

Reading Rights: Books Build a Brighter Future

"For too long, the life-changing benefits of children’s reading have not been taken seriously. And now – as our children face an unknown future – we risk…

booktrust.org.uk

We've been working with Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social on a #ReadingRights report to explore how we can make real change to children's lives. We're delighted to be publishing the report tomorrow, so stay tuned!

🚨 NEW: Opportunities for the poorest young people in London far outstrip the rest of England, we have found. Our new Opportunity Index reveals how the area young people grow up in shapes their life chances, with huge differences between constituencies across the country 🧵⬇️

'It seems strange to be so silent on something that has such a profound and harmful effect on people’s health and happiness, and across generations.' Julia Cream says drop the euphemisms and stop sugarcoating poverty in a new blog. buff.ly/RHxCuW4

Drop The Euphemisms And Stop Sugarcoating Poverty | The King's Fund

There appears to be an unusual reticence within the NHS when it comes to acknowledging poverty. Could identifying it more explicitly be beneficial? Julia Cream explores this matter.

buff.ly

Absolutely! And I'd add, 'to early shared reading programmes, to ensuring access to high-quality and diverse books, to supporting children and families to read together and develop a lifelong love of reading' - the evidence is so clear! www.booktrust.org.uk/resources/re...

The benefits of reading

From babies to children in their early years and all the way through to early teens, reading brings profound and wide-ranging benefits that can have a…

booktrust.org.uk

Charlotte Lydia Riley@lottelydia.bsky.social · last yr.

almost everything you can do to support babies, children and young people — from antenatal classes, to paid parental leave, to early years care, to free school meals, to sure start centres and libraries and youth groups — saves the state money in the long run

Children read to from an early age have a significant head start in life. Public #Libraries are ideally placed for a major role in @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social and @booktrust.org.uk's #ReadingRights campaign. www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/c... www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qHG...

Waterstones Children's Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce: Reading Rights for Brighter Futures

YouTube video by BookTrust

youtube.com

We support calls to address shortages in the child healthcare workforce so that families, especially the most vulnerable, receive support for essential activities such as shared reading and more. Here's an example of the impact health visitors can have: www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-fea...

“They were glowing with purpose. They can see that it’s working”: Frank Cottrell-Boyce meets health visitors in Newcastle

Find out what happened when Waterstones Children's Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce met with health visitors in Newcastle to learn about their work and their challenges.

booktrust.org.uk

Institute of Health Visiting@ihealthvisiting.bsky.social · last yr.

iHV welcomes today's briefing from @thekingsfund which calls for more health visitors and lists 10 actions for government to take to improve children's health buff.ly/Jhqtpuf #HealthVisiting

On #WorldHealthDay, we're celebrating the ways in which shared reading and reading for pleasure can support healthy development and behaviours. Explore the research here 👇 www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/i...