Early Years News Roundup | How Babyzone Is Bringing ‘Reading Rights’ to Life

Bright Ideas 💡

Reading Rights: A National Case for Shared Stories

BookTrust’s new report, released this week - Reading Rights - sets out compelling evidence for the power of shared reading — not just as a literacy tool, but as a foundation for children’s wellbeing and development.

Shared reading has been shown to boost emotional bonding, empathy, and attention, even regulating babies’ body rhythms. These benefits are especially critical for children facing adversity. Research highlights that children read to early are more likely to build secure relationships and overcome disadvantage.

Yet barriers remain. Over one-third of children in poverty are read to infrequently. Only 40% of low-income parents read a bedtime story regularly, and for many, Bookstart packs contain the first books they’ve ever owned.

The report’s City of Stories pilot highlights the importance of place-based community settings (like Babyzone), and demonstrates how shared reading can be embedded across health, education and early years services. The call is clear: make reading a universal right.

Babyzone is already delivering many of these recommendations. We provide dual-language books, inclusive reading spaces and practitioner-led Storytimes. Our team models reading as part of everyday care, and we work alongside health visitors, Family Hubs and literacy partners to ensure books reach the families who need them most. For us, reading is not an add-on — it’s a core part of how we support children to thrive.

Need to Know 📌

Defining Quality Child Care Remains Contentious Amid Shifting Policies And Priorities

As the government continues to reshape early years funding and regulation, the question of what defines quality childcare has become a central—and highly contested—issue.

On one side, decades of research affirm the value of qualified educators: credentialed staff, low child-to-adult ratios, and structured learning environments are often linked to stronger developmental outcomes. On the other, an equally compelling body of evidence points to relational factors—like warmth, consistency, and emotional attunement—as the true drivers of a child’s long-term well-being.

Yet widely used rating systems like the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) often lean heavily on structural indicators, which critics argue offer limited insight into the daily lived experience of children in care. More worryingly, high QRIS scores don’t always align with improved child outcomes, suggesting a disconnect between what’s measured and what matters.

As policies shift to expand entitlements and increase access, early years professionals are caught between compliance requirements, budget constraints, and rising expectations from parents. Affordability and availability remain front of mind—but so too does the need to articulate a shared, workable definition of quality that doesn’t reduce care to tick-box metrics.

Practitioners must be ready to advocate for a broader, more holistic view of quality—one that recognises both pedagogical rigour and the power of relationships. This means doubling down on staff development and wellbeing, while continuing to challenge frameworks that prioritise paperwork over impact.

Childcare Subsidy Scheme Extended To Support School-Age Children Across Northern Ireland

Education Minister Paul Givan announces a £55 million extension of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme to support school-age children from September 2025, expanding the subsidy’s reach from 15,000 to approximately 24,000 children. Working parents will benefit from a £15 discount, potentially rising to £32 when combined with Tax Free Childcare, offering significant financial relief. This move aims to improve affordability, accessibility, and quality in early years provision, with ongoing expansion of services like Sure Start and full-time pre-school education.

Insights & Impact 🔬

Early Bonding Reduces Long-Term Impact Of Postpartum Maternal Depression On Children

Strong early bonding between mothers and infants can reduce up to 35% of the long-term emotional and behavioural difficulties typically associated with postpartum maternal depression, new research shows. The findings reinforce the critical role of nurturing early relationships in buffering children from the developmental consequences of maternal mental health challenges.

Notably, boys appear more vulnerable than girls to these long-term effects, suggesting a need for more tailored early interventions. For early years professionals, this highlights the importance of supporting attachment-focused practices in the first year—particularly in families navigating maternal mental health difficulties. Building those bonds early isn’t just about emotional wellbeing in the moment—it’s a powerful form of prevention.

Interpersonal Unpredictability And Socioeconomic Deprivation Shape Adolescent Brain And Behaviour

Research demonstrates that interpersonal unpredictability and socioeconomic deprivation in early life distinctly accelerate changes in adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, undermining crystallised and fluid cognition as well as mental health. Stable family and neighbourhood environments are identified as key protective factors. Policymakers should prioritise interventions promoting predictability and enrichment in children’s surroundings.

Early Childhood Air Pollution Exposure Linked To Poorer Health In Adolescence

Early exposure to air pollution—specifically PM2.5, PM10, and NO₂—has been linked to a 14–30% increased risk of poorer self-reported health by age 17, according to a major UK study. The impact is most pronounced among children from disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds, underscoring how environmental harms often compound existing inequalities. For early years professionals and policymakers, the findings call for urgent, targeted action to improve air quality in the areas where vulnerable children live, learn, and play—before the long-term health effects become irreversible.