The first few years of a child’s life matter so much.
It’s a crucial time for their learning and development, as they explore the world around them – learning to walk, talk, socialise and practise routines.
A quality home learning environment, and the way parents support their children at home, helps to give them the best start in life.
But too many families across the UK don’t have access to basic items that support childhood learning and development.
Parents want to do the best for their children, but we know poverty puts tremendous pressure on families and damages these precious early years. Right now, almost a third of children in the UK experience poverty before they start school.
A daily struggle to make ends meet means it’s harder for families to provide the basics that would help their children learn at home, like books and toys. And it doesn’t only impact them materially: poverty also limits parents’ capacity and time to give children playful and nurturing experiences at home.
Our Building Blocks programme aims to give every child the best start in life by:
- reducing the impact of material deprivation on families’ lives
- building an understanding of the effective ways that support parents to play and learn with their children at home