A good start in life

The critical importance of a child's early years in terms of life chances and health is now widely acknowledged, as is the association of the two issues. The Government sets out its stall in some new pages from the Department for Education (DfE) website. DfE has also published Supporting Families in the Foundation Years, in which it sets out policy for this area and responds to Frank Field's earlier report on child poverty, Graham Allen's first early intervention report and Dame Clare Tickell's report on early years. Highlighted offers include health visitor recruitment (again!), slimming down the Early Years Foundation Stage but including greater focus on parents, a reprieve for Sure Start centres, introducing greater flexibility for parental leave and extending free early education for the most disadvantaged 2 year olds. Some of these policy moves are familiar. Offering free pre-school education to disavantaged 2 year olds follows a recent pilot, although this plan was announced last year, too, and is not entirely dissimilar to the previous government's commitments. DfE has also published an evalution of Sure Start, with an economic focus.