East Midlands Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

🍂 Our Autumn Term 2026 offer is here!

We’re excited to be launching the Pen Green Stronger Practice Hub Autumn Term programme – with a growing range of fully funded CPD, webinars, networks and practice support for early years practitioners and settings.

✨ Coming up this term:
🌱 Inspiring webinars and practical CPD
💬 Opportunities to connect through our practitioner networks
👶 Support focused on babies, SEND, speech and language, maths, observation and more
🤝 Spaces to share practice, ask questions and learn together

And this is just the start… there’s lots more still to come!

📅 Take a look at what’s coming up and book your places:
https://www.pengreen.org/events/

Keep an eye on our socials as we continue to announce new opportunities throughout the autumn term.

📣 Calling all early years settings and childminders!

Do you have questions or concerns about a child’s speech, language or communication development?

Through the Pen Green Stronger Practice Hub, early years practitioners can access fully funded 1:1 online support sessions with Karen Royle.

These informal sessions give you dedicated time to talk through your concerns and explore practical advice and strategies to support the child in your setting.

⭐ These sessions are in high demand, so early booking is recommended.

📧 To book your 1:1 session, email [email protected]

Every day, children move between home and their early years setting, bringing with them new ideas, experiences and fascinations. But how can we work with families to build on these interests and create continuity in children's learning?

Our latest resource explores The Pen Green Loop – a practical approach to strengthening the Home Learning Environment through genuine partnership between families and educators.

Using a real-life case study, you'll discover how following a child's fascination across home and nursery can:
✨ Build richer understandings of children's learning
✨ Strengthen parental engagement
✨ Inform meaningful planning
✨ Create connected learning experiences across different contexts

Whether you're a practitioner, leader or childminder, this resource offers practical ideas and reflective questions to help you deepen your work with families.

📖 Read the resource here: https://www.pengreen.org/stronger-practice-hub/sph-blogs-and-case-studies/

Building a Connected Early Years System 🤝

What happens when organisations across the early years sector come together with a shared purpose?

Our latest case study explores the East Midlands Early Years System Leaders Forum (Hub Club) – a collaborative initiative bringing together Local Authorities, Family Hubs, Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs, Teaching School Hubs, Maths Hubs, English Hubs, Multi Academy Trusts and more to strengthen relationships, align priorities and improve outcomes for babies, young children and their families.

By creating a trusted space for collaboration rather than competition, Hub Club is helping to build a more connected early years system where collective leadership makes a real difference.

Read the case study to discover how partnership working is supporting the Government's Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life ambitions and shaping a stronger future for children across the East Midlands.

https://www.pengreen.org/stronger-practice-hub/sph-blogs-and-case-studies/

Could your setting benefit from tailored support from an experienced early years adviser?

The new Early Years Stronger Practice Adviser (EYSPA) Programme offers fully funded, personalised coaching and support for eligible early years settings and childminders.

Working alongside you—not inspecting you—our advisers will help you reflect on practice, strengthen leadership, embed evidence-informed approaches and develop sustainable improvements that make a lasting difference for children.

You may be eligible if your setting:
✅ Has received a recent Ofsted judgement requiring improvement
✅ Has children accessing Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)
✅ Has children accessing the Early Learning for 2-Year-Olds Offer
✅ Supports children with SEND

If you're looking for practical, tailored support, we'd love to hear from you.

📄 Find out more and apply today https://www.pengreen.org/stronger-practice-hub/early-years-stronger-practice-adviser-programme/

📞 Questions? Get in touch—we're happy to chat.

🎥 Recording now available: What About the Babies?

If you missed our recent webinar with Dr Mona Sakr and Dr Sara Bonetti, or you'd like to revisit the discussion, the recording is now available.

Drawing on the latest findings from The Baby Room Project, this thought-provoking session explores what high-quality provision for babies really looks and feels like. Together, Mona and Sara challenge us to think beyond checklists and measurements, placing relationships, responsive care and meaningful partnerships with families at the heart of baby room practice.

Whether you work in a nursery, as a childminder, or support early years practice, this webinar offers valuable insights and plenty of food for thought.

🎥 Watch the recording here: https://www.pengreen.org/stronger-practice-hub/sph-webinars/

If the webinar has inspired you to continue the conversation, join us for our next Baby Room Network on Monday 21 July (6:00–7:00pm), where we'll be exploring Documenting the Learning of Our Youngest Children.

Find out more: https://www.pengreen.org/event/baby-room-network-meeting-documenting/

If you could create the ideal baby room, what words would you use to describe its atmosphere? 💚

This was the question we asked during today’s webinar with Dr Mona Sakr and Dr Sara Bonetti, and the responses speak volumes.

Calm. Nurturing. Supportive. Welcoming. Loving. Hygge. Homely. Responsive. Language rich. Playful.

It’s fascinating to see calm sitting alongside busy and stimulating—highlighting that the very best baby rooms are emotionally secure places where babies can explore, communicate, play and learn, supported by warm, responsive relationships.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for such a thoughtful and inspiring discussion. Together we’re continuing to explore what high-quality experiences for our youngest children can and should look like.

What three words would you choose to describe the atmosphere in your ideal baby room?

BabyPedagogy ReflectivePractice PenGreen BestStartInLife

What’s coming up with the East Midlands Early Years Stronger Practice Hub? 👇

Join us this July for two fully funded online networks, bringing practitioners together to connect, reflect and strengthen their practice.

🗣 Speech and Language and SEND Support Network
Thursday 9th July | 10:30–11:30am
An informal, supportive network for practitioners with an interest in children's speech, language, communication and SEND. Share experiences, discuss challenges and connect with colleagues while gaining practical, evidence-informed ideas to support inclusive practice.

👉 Book your place: https://www.pengreen.org/event/speech-language-send-support-network/

👶 Baby Room Network – Documenting Children's Learning
Tuesday 21st July | 6–7pm
This month's network explores documenting children's learning in the baby room. Together we'll consider meaningful ways to recognise, capture and communicate babies' learning, while reflecting on observations that celebrate their interests, relationships, communication and emerging thinking.

👉 Book your place: https://www.pengreen.org/event/baby-room-network-meeting-documenting/

We'd love to see you there!

👶 What about the babies? Working Together towards a Vision of Quality in the Baby Room

Following the fantastic response to last year's webinar, we're delighted to welcome back Dr Mona Sakr and Dr Sara Bonetti for this interactive follow-up session.

🗓 Friday 10th July
🕛 12:00–1:30pm
💻 Online | Free to attend

This webinar is designed for local authority early years advisors and nursery managers and builds on the findings from their Nuffield Foundation-funded research, Achieving High Quality Provision in the Baby Room of English Nurseries.

Together, we'll explore what high-quality baby room provision really looks like and consider how local authorities and nurseries can work together to make it a reality.

During the session, Mona and Sara will:
✨ Share key findings from their national research
✨ Invite participants to help shape a shared vision for quality in the baby room
✨ Explore practical examples from across the country
✨ Discuss approaches to group size, staggered settling-in and baby-specific professional learning
✨ Provide opportunities for questions, discussion and reflection so you can consider what the findings mean for your own context

Whether you joined us last year or are new to the conversation, this is an opportunity to engage with the latest evidence and contribute to the future of high-quality provision for our youngest children.

👉 Book your free place today https://www.pengreen.org/event/webinar-babyroom2/

👶 A fantastic opportunity for childminders working with babies...

Our colleagues from the Childminding Babies Project have asked us to share details of their upcoming FREE Childminding Babies Conferences, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Taking place this autumn in London, York and Bristol, the conferences will bring together childminders and childminder assistants for a day of:
✨ Inspiring speakers
🤝 Opportunities to connect with fellow childminders
💡 Research and ideas to support your work with babies

Registration opens in early July, so for now, save the date and subscribe to the Childminding Babies Blog to be notified as soon as bookings go live.

https://ow.ly/eIix50Zixi6

If you work with babies, this looks set to be a valuable opportunity to learn, connect and be inspired.