Alliance Connect Roadshow: Babies and beyond

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Neil Leitch OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Early Years Alliance

Following a career in finance which culminated in him chairing the Finance Industry Standards Association, Neil was asked to volunteer his skills in business to what was then the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

In 2008, Neil was appointed as CEO. He has been a strident leader of the largest early years membership organisation in the country, overseeing its rebrand to the Early Years Alliance in 2019 – a change that reflected its ambition to give a united voice to all involved in caring and educating young children.

Neil has fronted numerous sector campaigns on fair funding and notably the mental health of the early years workforce, Minds Matter. He has provided evidence to multiple government inquiries and he played a pivotal role in developing the two-year-old early entitlement offer. Neil’s membership of the Department for International Trade (DIT) Education Sector Advisory Group has also given his work international reach, particularly in China and the rest of Asia.

Neil remains a powerful voice for the sector, fighting to ensure early years is recognised as an integral part of our national education system.

Professor Sam Wass, Baby Development Lab at the University of East London

Professor Sam Wass studied at Oxford, London, and Cambridge, and currently runs the Baby Dev Lab at the University of East London. Sam's research is funded by Research Councils UK, the European Research Council, and Medical Research Council and many others to research how early life stress develops, and how stress influences attention and learning in typical and atypically developing children (including ADHD, ASD, anxiety and others). He is also a co- founder of Nest Kids, which provides education and support services for Early Years, and works with commercial organisations including Melissa & Doug, Disney+ and LEGO. He has fronted press campaigns promoting awareness about early child development for Public Health England and (currently) the Department of Education, and he appears regularly in the media as an expert in child development, including as an on-screen child psychologist in five series of the multi-award-winning Channel 4 show ‘The Secret Life of 4- and 5-Year-Olds'.

Richard Knight, Alliance early years development manager

Richard Knight is an early years development manager for the EarlyYears Alliance, with a variety of experience working in early yearseducation over the last 16 years. He manages early years projects,writes, and delivers training, and as a consultant supports providers tomeet the requirements of the EYFS so that they are Ofsted-ready.

Through his work, he has the opportunity to be hands-on andcollaborate with educators, children and families, so he understandsthe challenges that the sector face and he is passionate about makinga difference. He has first-hand experience of working in pre-schools,stay and play groups, out of school clubs and creches.

One of Richard’s favourite aspects of his current role is supportingcolleagues across the Alliance’s services, and working with providersto develop their knowledge and skills so that collectively they can workto give children the best start in life.

As part of this exciting day, attendees will have the opportunity to attend both of our practical seminar sessions

Connect one: Storytelling– Sharing stories and rhymes to support early language – where will the adventure take us? Early years development manager Alison Heseltine

This session is dedicated to the joy of storytelling and rhymes, and how ealy years educators can use these to support children's early communication and language. Together we will take a storytelling journey into make believe worlds and discuss how we can develop supportive and practical approaches to engage children to become story tellers building their confidence and mastery of language.

Attendees will be immersed into a world of imagination and have the chance to become a storyteller themselves, where the only limit is that of their own creativity. We will be bringing out our inner child participating in silly rhymes and tongue twisters, whilst exploring the joy of sounds and words. All of this fun will be tied together with the key message around why it is important to support early communication, our role in that within early years and how we extend this to the home learning environment, so the joy of stories and rhymes is spread far and wide

Connect two: Outdoor learning for under two's– Early years development officer Ruth Richardson

We often think about the outdoors being a place for children to run around and be physically active, but where does this leave our yougest children that are not yet as mobile? The outdoors has so much to offer children of all ages and we shouldn't forget about the babies and toddlers.

This session will outline the many benefits of being outdoors for children birth to two years, and consider ways toovercome challenges and barriers that eary years providers, and families, face in ensuring that our youngest children are given the same opportunities to explore the outdoors. We will consider how to create an enabling outdoor environment for our youngest children, and how to utilise what nature has to offer us when planning for the prime areas of learning.

9.45am - 10.00am: Refreshments

10.00am - 10.10am: Alison Heseltine, Alliance early years development manager and Connect Roadshow host will give an overview of the day's events

10.10am - 10.50am: Neil Leitch, Alliance CEO – add intro on what Neil is talking on

10.50am - 11.15am : Refreshments and networking

11.15am - 12.45pm: Keynote speaker: Professioner Sam Wass, Baby Development Lab at the University of East London - A blooming buzzing confusion – understanding recent neuroscience findings into how young brains develop and how young children experience the world differently to adults. 

12.45pm - 1.30pm: Lunch and networking

1.30pm - 2.20pm: Practical seminar

2.25pm - 3.15pm: Practical seminar

3.15pm - 3.30pm: Refreshments

3.30pm - 4.00pm: Closing session - The power of play - Richard Knight, Alliance early years development manager

Raffle Draw

TTS will be there with a range of resources that will relate to 'The power of play' Spotlight Collection

Host or Publisher Early Years Alliance