4 Children 4Children is the national charity dedicated to creating opportunities and building futures for all children.      A-Z to Finding Funds - Directory of Funding for Early Years Education and Childcare      ABC Teach This is the place for kids, parents, student teachers, and teachers      Access Arts An evoloving collection of visual arts learning resources      Action Transport Theatre We specialise in developing original theatre projects which reflect the ideas and experiences of children and young people      Apples and Snakes Apples & Snakes is establishing a network for performance poetry across the country by appointing coordinators based in different regions      Artists at the Centre Artists at the Centre is a project that brings artists into day care centres and family resource centres in Hamilton Ontario Canada, where the early childhood educators are exploring the Reggio Emilia approach      Barking Dog Theatre Company Presenting shows written and designed for children      Bernard van Leer Foundation The Bernard van Leer Foundation funds and shares knowledge about work in early childhood development      Best Bear Childcare Best Bear offers you the only nationwide listing of recommended childcare agencies      Best Play - What Play Provision Should Do For Children      Big Wide Talk Children's Project The Big Wide Talk Exhibition-Expedition is an exciting event for children, parents, practitioners and services      Birth to Three Matters SureStart - an introduction to the framework (pdf file)      Booktrust Books for all ages      CACHE We are the only organisation whose sole aim is to develop courses and qualifications for people who work, or want to work, in child care      Can Play Will Play Disabled children and access to outdoor playgrounds (pdf file)      Centre for Research in Early Childhood The Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC) is dedicated to raising the quality of early childhood education and care      Childcare Link National and local childcare information      Children in Europe - Issues 1 to 13 Back issues of Children in Europe magazine      Children's Play Council An alliance of national and regional voluntary organisations, local authorities and partnerships researching and promoting children's play in England since 1988      Children's Workforce Development Council The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) aims to improve the lives of children and young people      Community Playthings - Birth to Three A guide to room layout and equipment choice for young children      Community Playthings - Making Spaces for Children An easy to follow guide on how to maximise the value of space that children use daily      Coram Family Coram Family is a leading children's charity that aims to develop and promote best practice in the care of vulnerable children and their families      Cornelius and Jones Original Productions We perform for children and adults in schools and theatres      Council for Professional Recognition The Council was created to improve the professional status of early childhood care providers      Creating Magic A celebration of innovative projects tackling child poverty from the ground up (pdf file)      Creative Development QCA early learning guidelines (pdf file)      Cyert Center for Early Education The Cyert Center is a community committed to the highest-quality care and education for infants, toddlers, and young children      Developing Young Children's Creativity Through the Arts: What Does Research Have to Offer? A report by Caroline Sharp commissioned by NFER (pdf file)      Diversity in Early Childhood Education and Training DECET brings together a network of European organizations and projects with common goals about valuing diversity in early childhood education and training      Doo-Cot Doo-cot produces self devised work in different media at different venues and with different collaborators      Early Childhood This site contains capsules of information on specific topics within early years care and education      Early Childhood and Creativity: A Scoping Exercise, Key Studies Theories and reviews of early childhood and creativity (pdf file)      Early Childhood Research and Practice A bilingual Internet journal on the development, care, and education of young children      Early Years and Childcare Regulation A DfES consultation paper (pdf file)      Early Years and Primary Teaching Exhibitions The teaching exhibitions website      Early Years at King Alfred's College Resources for early years      Early Years Development and Childcare A range of reports and good practice guides for the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships and others with an interest in early years development and childcare.      Early Years Educator EYE magazine is the leading monthly magazine for early years professionals      Early Years Outdoors - Vision and Values for Outdoor Play An article from Learning through Landscapes about outdoor play for children (Word file)      Early Years Reading List A list of relevant literature for early years      Early Years Websites Selection of websites for the early years      Earlyarts The earlyarts network has been set up by the Arts Council England, North West, in collaboration with Isaacs UK, as a learning, information and support platform for anyone working in, funding, advising, or wishing to work in, the arts and early years      Education Action Zones Commentary on the first six zone inspections (pdf file)      Education and Employment Committee - First Report - Early Years - Volume 1      Engage Engage is a leading international association for gallery educators, artist educators and other arts and education professionals, with a growing membership around the world      Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Esm?e Fairbairn Foundation is one of the largest independent grantmaking foundations in the UK      EUnetArt EUnetART stimulates exchange, connection and collaboration among art professionals - bringing the arts alive for children and young people in Europe      Expecting the Unexpected Developing creativity in primary and secondary schools - a publication by the Office for Standards in Education      Fair Play for Children Fair Play for Children exists to promote understanding and action on the Child's Right to Play      Fields in Trust (formerly the National Playing Fields Association) Protecting and improving playing fields is the core work of The National Playing Fields Association (NPFA)      Foundation Stage: Education for Children Aged from 3 to 5 Information on the Foundation Stage curriculum      Free Play - The Power of Improvisation in Life and the Arts      Hoipolloi Stretching the imagination - we are committed to breaking down traditional ideas of theatre, bringing in thinking from a wide range of cultures and creating shows which have a wide appeal.      Horse and Bamboo Theatre An extensive site with information on current shows, training, outreach work, and tours      Imaginary Worlds, Creative Learning Through Play      Imaginate An arts organisation committed to promoting and developing the performing arts for children and young people in Scotland      Inspire, Create, Enjoy - Creative Steps to Early Learning through Dance, Drama, Music and the Visual Arts      Institute of Education Founded in 1902, the Institute of Education is a world class centre of excellence for research, teacher training, higher degrees and consultancy in education and education-related areas of social science      International Child Art Foundation We prepare children for a creative and cooperative future, to enable them to lead us into a safer and better world      Jabadao JABADAO is a national charity that works in partnership with the education, health, arts and social care sectors to bring about a sea change in the way people work with the body and movement.      Kidsactive Activities for children in the UK      La Baracca Founded in 1976, La Baracca has been working in the field of the theatre for children for over 25 years      Learning Early Network A collaboration of people and organizations committed to enriching the lives of children age 0 to 5      Lifelong Learning in Early Years Presentation by Chris Yapp, The Learning Lab (Word file)      Listening to Children in South America The bulletin of the Bernard van Lee Foundation (pdf file)      Listening to Young Children Coram's Listenting to Young Children project which was established in 2000 (Word file)      London Play London Play's aim is for every child in London to have high quality, accessible and inclusive play opportunities      Lottery Funding for Children's Play Consultation about a proposed UK-wide programme to create and improve play opportunities for children and young people aged 0 – 16, funded by the New Opportunities Fund with proceeds from the National Lottery.      Ludus Dance The company produces issue based work that tours to schools and theatres across the UK and internationally      Magic Carpet Theatre Exciting children?s theatre and workshops in theatres, arts centres, leisure centres, schools, festivals and at events throughout the UK and overseas      Making the Case for Play: Building Policies and Strategies for School-Aged Children - Children's Play Council Briefing      Man Enough to Teach in Primary and Early Years Report of the Symposium 'Men Teaching in Primary and Early Years' (pdf file)      Mimika Theatre Details of past and forthcoming shows      Motive, Means and Opportunity Creativity research review by Karen Dust (Word file)      National Association for the Education of Young Children NAEYC is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8      National Centre for Playwork Education - North East We work with playworkers, training providers, playwork employers and development organisations throughout the north east of England      National Children's Bureau - Art List Selection of books and articles on art and young children (Word file)      National Union of Teachers The Union leads the profession, always putting education first, always campaigning for better schools, more resources and improved conditions for pupils and for teachers      Nurturing the Enthusiasm and Ideals of New Teachers through Reflective Practice An article by Karyn Callaghan published in Canadian Children (pdf file)      OfSted - Information for Parents and Carers If you provide or would like to provide childminding and day-care services, these pages have some essential information      Oily Cart We transform everyday environments into wonderlands which our young guests physically enter joining us in a world of the imagination      Pandora's Daughter Pandora's Daughter is a puppetry and storytelling company, which has toured in theatres, schools, libraries and art galleries for many years      Parenta Parenta offers practical solutions for childcare providers throughout the UK      Parental Perspectives of Family Learning A report on a qualitative research project investigating parents' perspectives on family learning (pdf file)      Parks and Children Play Task Group Report and recommendations by the Cultural Services Executive - November 2000 (pdf file)      Planning for Play A Children's Play Council briefing for local authorities (pdf file)      Play Scotland Play Scotland is the lead organisation promoting the importance of play in the development of all our children and young people      Play Stories This site provides a space for play professionals to tell their stories      Play VQ If you are involved in the Playwork SVQ and NVQ process, this is the place to find out about assessment, current issues and developments and find answers to your questions      Playgrounds - Risks, Benefits and Choices A report prepared by Middlesex University for the Health and Safety Executive (pdf file)      Playlink Playlink works with local authorities and cross-sectoral partnerships on play policy, strategy and implementation      Playtrain Playtrain is the UK?s leading specialist playwork training agency      Playwork Partnerships Our mission is to enrich children and young people's lives through their experience of quality play      Polka Theatre Information on shows and events      Pop-Up Children's Theatre Pop-Up's policy is to maintain and improve its status as a pioneering theatre company which produces high quality work      Pre-School Learning Alliance The Pre-school Learning Alliance is a leading educational charity specialising in the early years      Pre-School Music Association (PRESMA) We promote music among pre-school children      Project Approach The Project Approach refers to a set of teaching strategies which enable teachers to guide children through in-depth studies of real world topics      Quicksilver Theatre Quicksilver Theatre is a children's theatre company who commission and produce new plays and perform them to children the length and breadth of Britain and abroad, providing many with their first experience of live theatre      Ragdoll Foundation The Ragdoll Foundation is dedicated to developing the power of imaginative responses in children through the arts      Reggio Emila An educational project      Response to Lottery Funding for Children's Play Response from Isaacs on the DCMS Lottery Funding for Children's Play Consultation (Word file)      Safety in Children's Playgrounds Local Authority Circular regarding safety in children's playgrounds (pdf file)      Saving a Place for the Arts? An NFER survey of the arts in primary schools in England (Word file)      Sheffield Children's Centre - The Shac Outline Business Plan Roger Tym & Partners and CIVIX were commissioned by the Sheffield Children’s Centre to produce an outline Business Plan for The Shack, a proposed Centre for Curiosity and Imagination      Sightlines Initiative We support creative thinking and practice in early childhood services in North-East England and across the UK      Skills Active The Playwork Unit in SkillsActive supports playwork and playworkers in a range of ways      SOSIG Early years research worldwide      Starting with Children - Towards an Early Years Curriculum Speech by Mary Jane Drummond, at the Brussels Conference 2000 (link to web page)      Stimulating Creativity Through Family Learning A campaign for learning guide to organising creative learning family activities (pdf file)      Supporting Creativity and Imagination in the Early Years      Sure Start Sure Start is the government programme to deliver the best start in life for every child. We bring together, early education, childcare, health and family support      The Arts in the Early Years - A National Study of Policy and Practice A research report by Alison Clark, Ellen Heptinstall, Antonia Simon and Peter Moss - December 2002 (Word file)      The Basic Skills Agency We're a small, quick response, independent organisation, working at 'arms length' from our funders the Department for Education and Skills and the Welsh Assembly Government.      The Co-ordination of Childcare and Education Services for the Under Fives Report by Jayne Osgood and Caroline Sharp (Word file)      The Education of Six Year Olds in England, Denmark and Finland An international comparative study by the Office of Standards in Education (pdf file)      Theatre de la Guimbarde Theatre for very young children in France      Theatre Enfants Information about theatres in France offering productions for young children      Trestle Theatre Company Trestle tours popular theatre that incorporates physical theatre, music and new writing      UK Playworkers This community is a useful resource to for all people working with children at play, both in the UK and internationally      Under 5s - Preschool Education Educational resources and activities for the under fives      UNESCO Early Childhood and Family UNESCO leads the international policy drive for early childhood care and education      UNICEF UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized      Welfare State International Welfare State International is a company of artists who pioneer new approaches to the arts of celebration and ceremony in the UK and internationally      World Organisation for Early Childhood Education OMEP is the only world-wide non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on young children, ages 0-8      Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections Report written by The Task Force on Children's Learning and the Arts - Birth to 8 Years and Sara Gol