Welcome to our January Newsletter

Attention early years professionals!

Don't miss out on the ultimate time-saving gem of the month! Our exclusive newsletter is hot off the press, designed especially for you! Discover a treasure trove of free resources and must-know updates that will revolutionise your childcare business.

Let's dive into it.

Attention all childcare business owners and managers!

Is your setting struggling to turn a profit?

Take our FREE Diagnostic Quiz to identify areas for improvement and learn strategies to improve profitability in your childcare business today!

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Planning in the Early Years

Effective planning is pivotal in the early years, encompassing essential aspects such as managing finances, integrating the EYFS curriculum, establishing policies and procedures and shaping children's development. This month, we invite you to explore the ins and outs of comprehensive planning for early childhood education.

The Impact of Effective Planning in Early Years Education

Tuesday 16th January 2024, 10.30am

Join us for a practical webinar with seasoned experts Denise Burke , Sam Mackey and Sarah Seymour and delve into effective planning strategies for early childhood education.

Secure your spot here, and remember, attending will earn you a CPD certificate!

Why not subscribe to our YouTube channel? You can watch all our industry webinars free of charge here!

EYFS Revisions and Qualifications Uncertainty – don’t get left behind.

Two new versions of the EYFS Statutory Framework came into effect on 4th January 2024 – one for childminders and one for group and school-based providers.

The main changes apply to group-based providers and include:

• A change from “must” to “may” concerning “take reasonable steps to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning, supporting their language development at home.”
• Removing the requirement for staff to have a level 2 maths qualification alongside a full and relevant Level 3 qualification to count in ratios (NB Level 2 English will still be required). Setting managers employed on or after 4 January 2024 must hold a level 2 maths qualification, or they must achieve one within 2 years of starting in the position.
• The flexibility for “Suitable students on long-term placements and volunteers (aged 17 or over) and staff working as apprentices in early education (aged 16 or over) may be included in the ratios at the level below their level of study if the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible.”

Important update from the DfE

The DfE has clarified that unqualified staff in early years can maintain their regular work in early years settings. This clarification comes in response to confusion within the sector regarding the new qualifications guidance document “Early years qualification requirements and standards ” which states that: "To be included in the staff: child ratios at level 2, level 3 or level 6, staff must hold a qualification that is recognised by the Department for Education as full and relevant at the appropriate level. Any individual that does not hold a full and relevant qualification can only work as an unqualified member of staff in an early years setting and therefore cannot count in the staff: child ratios", meant that under the revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), unqualified staff could no longer work in early years settings.

DfE has confirmed that there have been no changes to the rules on unqualified staff and that this guidance does not mean that unqualified educators are unable to work in early years settings – only that they cannot be counted in Level 2, 3 or 6 ratios, as is currently the case.

Download the new, revised EYFS Statutory Framework for Group and School-based providers here.

Latest updates for employers registering on the Apprenticeship Service

The Apprenticeship Service has added two further steps to its new registration task list which employers see when they register for an account.

The aim of these is to support employers through the registration process. After setting up their account name, employers will now be prompted to:

• Accept the employer agreement
• Add a training provider and select training provider permissions

Employers need to complete all task list steps in order. Employers will be sent a confirmation email upon creating their Apprenticeship Service account.

For more information about this update, visit The Apprenticeship Service Employer Support Page

Don’t miss out on crucial updates - Read our blog today!

Big Energy Saving Week!

Everyone’s talking about saving energy – not only to save the planet through reduced CO2 emissions, but we all need to make our pennies go a little further. It’s not always easy to know what to do though, so Big Energy Saving Week might be just the thing you’re looking for to get some energy saving tips and advice. Read on to find out how you can not only save money for your setting and help the planet, but we’ve also listed some ways that you can help the families in your setting too.

Keep reading for essential energy saving tips to unlock savings!

How To Plan Effectively

It’s well documented that working in the early years sector involves a lot of planning. Whether it’s planning for the day-to-day running of the setting, staff rotas, policy and procedure reviews, healthy menu choices, or team meetings, everything needs to be planned efficiently when you are working in a busy childcare setting. However, the most important planning of course, is the effective planning of the children’s learning and development.

Click here to grab your free guide and master planning in your setting!

Professional Learning For Baby Room Educators

The baby room: distinct experiences and challenges for educators

Working in the baby room is different to working in any other part of the nursery and comes with distinct challenges. To give just a few examples:

• Educators in the baby room are at the forefront of dealing with parents’ anxieties around leaving their babies in the care of others for the first time. At the same time as responding to babies’ intense settling emotions, educators are also effectively ‘settling in’ the parents.
• In the baby room, educators have to manage individualised routines of sleep, bottles and feeding, while also ensuring that getting through these routines doesn’t completely take over the day and leave no time for rich interactions and mindful play.
• Another challenge in the baby room is getting outdoors. While children in the toddler and pre-school rooms can wander outside by themselves, babies often have to be carried. This can make it tricky to spend as much time in nature or the local area as you’d like to.

Read more on our website, parenta.com!

What have our customers said over the past month?

These are just some of the wonderful things our customers have said about us this month!

Click here to see all the latest testimonials we have received from our valued customers!

We hope you found this month’s newsletter useful.

Share with a friend or colleague to help them stay at the forefront of the Early Years world as well!