Children need a nurturing environment across the four domains of child development – physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and behavioural – to achieve their development milestones. Supporting children to achieve good outcomes in early childhood gives them a strong foundation for a happy, healthy and productive life. These resources set out EIF’s evidence reviews on how best to support children’s outcomes and development during their early years.
Key competencies in early cognitive development: Things, people, numbers and words
This major report sets out the evidence on how best to support children’s foundational cognitive development in the early years, covering their theory of mind, objects, numbers and words. Understanding these crucial areas of development is key to ensuring children are ready for school and supporting efforts to reduce income-related gaps in school attainment.
What works to enhance the effectiveness of the Healthy Child Programme: An evidence update
This report provides a wealth of information about the evidence for approaches to early intervention for mothers and infants, which may be commissioned and delivered locally as part of the Healthy Child Programme.
Foundations for Life: What works to support parent-child interaction in the early years?
A groundbreaking assessment of 75 early intervention programmes aimed at improving child outcomes through positive parent–child interactions in the early years.
Language as a child wellbeing indicator
Early language acquisition impacts on all aspects of young children’s non-physical development. It contributes to their ability to manage emotions and communicate feelings, to establish and maintain relationships, to think symbolically, and to learn to read and write.
Adverse childhood experiences: What we know, what we don't know, and what should happen next
This major report surveys the evidence relating to the prevalence, impact and treatment of ACEs, the extent to which ACEs should provide the basis for frontline practice and service design, and the known level of effectiveness and value of ACE-related approaches, such as routine enquiry and trauma-informed care
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