Policy Issues in the Early Years

Introduction: Critical Perspectives on Early Years Policy-Making - Denise Hevey, University of Northampton and Linda Miller, Open University PART ONE: POVERTY, SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE AND YOUNG CHILDREN Poverty, Disadvantage and Social Exclusion - Naomi Eisenstadt, University of Oxford, UK (former Head of Sure Start and Head of Cabinet Office Social Exclusion Unit.) Closing the Gap: Policy into Action - Jenny Spratt, Head of EY Services for Peterborough, Sue Owen, Director of Children's Well being, National Children's Bureau and Caroline Sharp, National Foundation Promoting Infant Mental Health: A Public Health Priority - Angela Underdown, Associate Professor of Public Health in the Early Years, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick PART TWO: EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS IN EARLY YEARS Enhancing Potential in Children (EPIC) - Stuart Shanker, Director, The Milton and Harris Research Initiative and Roger Downer, York University, Canada. Safeguarding, Well-Being and Universal Services: A Case Study of Scotland - Jane Aldgate and Wendy Rose, The Open University, UK and policy advisers to Scottish Government Parenting Policies and Skills Strategies in the United Kingdom - Mary Crowley, formerly CEO of Parenting UK Play as a Foundation for Learning? The Rhetoric and Reality of the National Strategy for Early Education and Assessment in England - Lesley Staggs, formerly National Director of the Foundation Stage National Strategy PART THREE: MARKETIZATION AND DEMOCRATIZATION Making Democracy a Fundamental Value in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) - Meaning What? - Prof. Peter Moss, Institute of Education, University of London, UK. Marketization of Early Years and Childcare Services - Eva Lloyd with Helen Penn, Centre for Study of Marketisation in Childcare, University of East London, UK Early Years Services as a Vehicle for Democratization: ISSA's Experience in Supporting Practitioners' Professional Development, Building Partnerships and Influencing Systems - Ulviya Mikailova, Gerda Sula, Dawn Tankersley, Aija Tuna, International Step-by-Step Association (ISSA), Hungary. Conclusion Critical Perspectives on Policy Implementation - Linda Miller, The Open University and Denise Hevey, University of Northampton, UK