Where next for early years research? Refreshing our funding priorities

Eleanor Ireland, Education Programme Head and Richard Batcheler, independent researcher and writer, share priorities for future early years research ahead of our funding deadlines for 2023.  

Our Changing face of early childhood series, led by Carey Oppenheim, shone a light on the striking differences in caring for young children now compared to a generation ago. It also highlighted all that we don’t yet know about early childhood and how to meet the evolving needs of young children and their families.  

So, in November 2022 we brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and funders from across the UK to discuss what the priorities for future early years research should be. 

Here, we share these priorities ahead of the March and September deadlines for our Research, Development and Analysis Fund. These priorities build on the research interests set out in our Guide for Applicants that span our broad domains of Education, Welfare and Justice.  

1. Research on the impact of interconnected challenges faced by young children and their families 

We’re interested in applications that examine the many issues that families are grappling with, how they link together and their impact. For example 

• The relationship between young children’s and parents’ mental health, which is shaped by work-care arrangements, the home environment and wider social and economic circumstances 
• How families balance work and care particularly in the light of longstanding gendered care arrangements and emerging post-Covid trends. 

2. Addressing the crisis in early childhood education and care 

In the series, we concluded that a whole system review is needed of early childhood education and care. This remains a key funding priority for us. In the workshop we identified a lack of evidence in these research areas:  

• Early childhood education and care for under-twos 
• Improvements in workforce conditions and qualifications 
• Access to and take-up of free childcare 
• How nurseries and settings can support parents and home learning   
• Comparisons of different early childhood services across the four nations   

3. Finding what support works best for families  

We would like to see more research exploring how best to support families, including which combinations of support are most effective in meeting their range of needs.  

The importance of identifying the right package of support can be seen most clearly in the case of early childhood poverty, which remains a key funding priority for us. 

To identify the right mix of support we need research in these underexplored areas: 

• Deep and persistent poverty 
• The effects of rising in-work poverty 
• The impact of living in privately rented housing on children and families  

4. Making early years research more representative of families in the UK 

Historically, large-scale datasets have failed to reflect the realities and diversity of contemporary families with young children, including blended families, non-resident parents, larger families, migrant families and those with no recourse to public funds. There is a need for more studies that:  

• Centre research on minoritised groups  
• Understand more about the experiences of families from diverse ethnic backgrounds  
• Establish how best to support families with children with special educational needs and disabilities through early childhood and beyond. 

A greater emphasis on lived experience and voice can also help early childhood research better understand the lives of families with young children. 

5. Understanding the effect of digital technology on early childhood  

Digital technology has led to a profound change in our lives, but we don’t yet have a good understanding of its effects or its potential. Priorities for future research in this area include: 

• The role of digital technology in children’s development 
• Understanding how families are using digital technology 
• The delivery of services to families and the best mix of digital and in-person services 
• The effect of the digital divide on families with young children 

Submit an application.  

We are immensely grateful to our workshop participants who generously shared their time and expertise in the workshop. Together we have generated new ideas that will feed into a new research agenda.  

Building off some 90 studies funded by the Foundation over the last eight years, we are committed to continue funding research in early childhood across our core domains of Education, Justice and Welfare in the coming years.