Everyday Maths: Making Learning Part of Daily Life

Spotlight 🌟

Everyday Maths: Making Learning Part of Daily Life

Babyzone recently launched Everyday Maths, a practical early years programme that helps parents weave maths into daily life and builds the foundations for later attainment. The curriculum follows the Stanford DREME framework and aligns with EYFS outcomes. In hubs, short, playful activities make concepts tangible. Between visits, WhatsApp nudges and simple cue cards keep practice going at home. The model is capital light, partnership led and designed for scale.

Our recent parent survey highlights the mechanism of impact. Confidence, enjoyment and frequency of “maths talk” move together. Parents who enjoy simple examples feel more confident and use them more often. Across education levels the ask is consistent: practical prompts they can try tonight. Everyday Maths provides those prompts in kitchens, buggies and bath times, turning routine moments into learning.

We plan to track a short Parent Knowledge and Confidence Index, plus a weekly At-Home Practice Score for maths talk, and observe quick child tasks tied to each week’s objective. This gives timely feedback with minimal burden.

Behind the Headlines 📰

Education Secretary Highlights Early Years as Key to Raising Attainment

In a speech launching the government’s new RISE attainment conferences, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson set out a vision for improving outcomes and closing learning gaps across England’s schools. Central to her message was the importance of the early years as the foundation for later achievement.

Hidden Charges Emerge Under Expanded 30-hour Childcare Policy

Some parents are finding the expanded 30 hours free childcare policy less of a relief than hoped - with extra day-to-day charges for meals, nappies, consumables, and trips creeping into supposedly “free” settings. These optional fees, while legal, vary widely and are being used by settings to plug funding gaps. Providers warn they need these additional revenues to stay afloat under current funding pressures. The discrepancy between what the policy promises and what families experience is raising urgent questions about transparency, sector sustainability, and whether the “free” hours are truly affordable in practice.

Parents Call for Urgent SEND Reform Across England

A mother describes her son’s diagnoses of autism, ADHD and dyslexia, the distress he faced in primary school, and repeated autistic burnout despite having an EHCP. She joined hundreds at Parliament Square urging urgent SEND reform. Her message is clear: early, properly funded assessment and support, lawful delivery of EHCPs, and inclusive practice would prevent crisis and help neurodivergent children thrive.

Research & Insights 🔬

The Rise of Digital Caregivers

A recent feature explores the growing use of artificial intelligence in childcare, from smart monitors to “digital nannies” that help parents track safety, learning, and wellbeing. The global AI-in-childcare market, valued at $4.7 billion in 2024, is expected to reach $35 billion by 2034, driven by demand for personalised, tech-enabled parenting tools.

These systems can detect unsafe play, recognise children’s moods, and provide real-time feedback to parents. Yet experts warn that while AI can enhance safety and insight, it cannot replace human empathy or relationships. The article highlights emerging ethical risks around privacy, data protection, and over-attachment to digital companions, urging that any adoption of AI in early care must prioritise emotional connection and transparency.

In Case You Missed It: Brain & Behaviour Data From Birth to 9 Months

A major data release from the U.S. Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study provides comprehensive biomedical and behavioral data from 1,400+ pregnant women and their children, covering stages from birth through 9 months. The dataset offers unprecedented insight into early brain and child development trajectories, and will enable researchers to explore links between biological, environmental, and developmental factors in infancy.

Global Perspectives 🌎

New Mexico Becomes First State to Offer Universal Free Childcare

From November, New Mexico will provide no-cost childcare for all children up to age 12, offering up to 10 hours of care each day. The policy, developed over several years by state legislators, marks the first fully universal childcare system in the United States.

The initiative aims to expand access, strengthen family wellbeing, and enable more parents, particularly women, to work or study. Lujan Grisham described it as “a model for the nation,” highlighting the role of state-led innovation in building equitable, early years systems that support every child’s development and every family’s stability.