There is no shortage of research on early childhood or on the programmes and policies that support young children. What is often missing is evidence that speaks directly to the realities of local delivery. Too often, promising interventions are designed in isolation while local innovation goes unevaluated. We need to bridge this gap by grounding research in local realities and helping local authorities understand and measure what works.

As local authorities in England roll out their Best Start in Life strategies, the ambition is clear: for 75% of children to reach a good level of development by 2028. This is a timely opportunity to bring researchers, funders, local authorities and third-sector organisations together to consider what evidence is needed to better support children in the early years.

On Thursday, 16 July we hosted an interactive online session exploring what new evidence is needed to better support children in the early years.

Mary-Alice Doyle, principal researcher in the fairer start mission at Nesta, chaired a discussion with Eleanor Ireland, programme head at the Nuffield Foundation, Dr Katherine Arbuthnott, acting consultant at the NIHR Coordinating Centre and Claire Crawford, professor of economics at UCL Centre for Education Policy.

Together, they explored what we know about supporting children’s early development, where important evidence gaps remain and what evidence could genuinely move the dial in improving outcomes for young children and their families. This was followed by breakout discussions on topics including early childhood education and care, parenting programmes, parent engagement, Family Hubs and child poverty, giving researchers and practitioners the chance to share priorities, learn from one another and identify opportunities for future collaboration.

This workshop is designed for researchers, local authority teams, early years professionals and anyone dedicated to improving outcomes for young children, particularly those growing up in poverty.