1. Early Years Process to Practice
Jenna Russell, Project Leader, Barnardos Brighter Futures

2. Brighter Futures Targeted Prevention and Early Intervention Centre
-Intensive family supports, group work and early years services to improve children’s emotional well- being and capacity to learn and develop

3. Why focus on Early Years?
Research has found that pre-school has almost as much impact on children's educational achievement at age 11 as school did- even though children had spent more time in school (Sammons, P. et al., (2007)
7 Services locally- 13 rooms/45 staff/300 children
CPD in the sector is a challenge
“Early development of
human capital results in
greater economic returns —
for individuals and society.”
—Professor James Heckman

4. Large return on investment (Per participant in 2000 constant dollars discounted 3% annually)
One of the most well-known findings of this study is that the preschool program had a large return on investment. The best estimate, using a 3% discount rate, which is similar to an interest rate over and above inflation, is that for each dollar invested, the program returned $12.90 to the public and $4.10 to participants, for a total return of $ As the graph shows, the sources of the return were savings in welfare, education due to less need for special education classes, greater earnings of participants, higher taxes paid on greater earnings, and both criminal justice system and victim costs of crime. Savings in crime costs alone were over 11 times the cost of the program, but even with the crime savings, the program paid for itself.
Some would say at $8,500 a year per child, the program is too expensive. But the public cost of every poor child who does not receive this program is not zero, but almost $200,000. Why do we keep choosing to spend $200,000 on big problems that we could prevent by spending $15,000? Government deficits are real, large, and growing. A major reason for them is our failure to make early childhood investments that significantly reduce our social problems before they get out of hand.

5. Vision of the Early Years Strand
We committed equally to early years Quality Improvements
Partnership and coordination- building on what each of us want and need
Comprehensive measure of quality- ECERS and ITERS pre and post- evidence based

6. Processes
Curriculum training- High/Scope curriculum training for 25 staff/9 rooms
Onsite Mentor- Implementation and imbedding practice
Speech and language focused training
Quality and curriculum enhancement focus

7. Thank You!