What are the 7 Areas of Learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)?

The 7 areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are: Communication and Language : Developing children's ability to express themselves and understand others Physical Development : Promoting children's physical health, coordination, and self-care skills Personal, Social, and Emotional Development : Supporting children's self-awareness, relationships, and emotional well-being Literacy : Fostering children's early reading and writing skills Mathematics : Building children's understanding of numbers, shapes, and measures Understanding the World : Helping children make sense of their physical world and community Expressive Arts and Design : Encouraging children's creativity and self-expression through various mediums

What are the 3 prime areas of the EYFS?

The 3 prime or core areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are: Communication and Language : Developing children's ability to express themselves and understand others Physical Development : Promoting children's physical health, coordination, and self-care skills Personal, Social, and Emotional Development : Supporting children's self-awareness, relationships, and emotional well-being The prime areas refer to the three most essential areas of learning and development. These areas are crucial because they lay the foundation for children's success in all other areas of learning and in life.

What are the 4 specific areas of the EYFS?

The 4 specific areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are: Literacy : Fostering children's early reading and writing skills Mathematics : Building children's understanding of numbers, shapes, and measures Understanding the World : Helping children make sense of their physical world and community Expressive Arts and Design : Encouraging children's creativity and self-expression through various mediums The specific areas of learning build upon the knowledge and skills developed in the prime areas. While the prime areas are fundamental for children's overall development, the specific areas provide the range of experiences and opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge and skills.

The Early Years Glossary: Child Development Key Terms and Definitions

Unlock the language of child development with the most comprehensive and up-to-date early years glossary of terms related to early childhood education.

This powerful resource is designed to help educators, parents, caregivers, and anyone passionate about nurturing young minds gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts and vocabulary used in this critically important field.

From widely-adopted pedagogical approaches like Montessori and Reggio Emilia to developmental milestones, learning theories, and educational philosophies, this glossary provides clear and concise definitions for hundreds of terms. Whether you need to refresh your knowledge or are just starting your journey into early years education, these definitions will equip you with the language to effectively communicate, explore ideas, and implement best practices.

Child Development Key Terms and Definitions

2D (two-dimensional) shapes	Flat shapes that have width and height but not depth, e.g. Common regular shapes such as rectangle, oval, triangle and hexagon.
3D (three-dimensional) shapes	Solid shapes that have width, height and depth, e.g. Common regular shapes such as sphere, pyramid and cube
AAC	Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Methods used to help people with disabilities communicate, such as signing, speech synthesizers, or symbols.
Ableism	Discrimination against disabled people in favour of non-disabled people
Academic background	A person’s educational history, including degrees earned, areas of scholarly expertise, and institutions attended. This background highlights their intellectual pursuits and the knowledge base they bring to their work.
Academy	A school which receives funding directly from the Government and is not controlled by the local authority.
Access	The provision of a wide range of activities and environments for every child by removing physical barriers and offering multiple ways to promote learning and development.
Accessibility	Refers to the availability of child care when and where a family needs it. Related to Child Care Access and Child Care Availability.
Accommodation	Adjustments or adaptations made in standards and assessment tools to allow children with special needs or English-Language Learners to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. It helps provide equal access to education by meeting individual learning needs and capabilities, addressing how children learn and demonstrate learning, not what they are expected to learn.
Accreditation	A process through which child care programs voluntarily meet specific standards to receive endorsement from a professional agency, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC).
Activities of daily living (ADL)	Basic self-care tasks that must be accomplished every day, such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, and continence.
ADD	Attention Deficit Disorder
Additional needs	Describes a group of children or young people who require additional support to help them make improved progress or catch up.
ADHD	Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
ADL	Activities of Daily Living
Adlerian Psychology	A school of psychology named after Alfred Adler, which emphasizes social connection, belonging, and purpose. Positive Discipline draws influences from this framework.
ADOS	Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. It is an assessment that can be used with people of all ages, abilities and language skills. It is a semi-structured, standardised assessment of communication, social skills, play and restricted and repetitive behaviours. It is a series of observations to show how a child communicates, interacts, play, their ability to be creative and if they have any restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests.
Adult-Child Ratio	The number of qualified adult caregivers relative to the number of children in a child care program, considering the ages of children served and typically featuring a low adult-to-child ratio in high-quality programs.
Adult-led	Where adults plan and provide opportunities for children to be introduced to or further develop skills and knowledge
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)	Potentially traumatic events that can have a negative, lasting effect on an individual’s health and well-being, including physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, or the death or incarceration of a parent or guardian.
Advocate	Someone who can help children, young people, and parents say what they want if they find it difficult to do so.
Affective Development	The area of child’s growth that is about personality, emotions, making and changing friends, social skills and the child’s perception of his/her self.
Affordability	The degree to which the price of child care is a reasonable or feasible family expense, with states maintaining different definitions based on various factors like family income and child care market rates.
After-School Program	Programs serving school-age children and older when they are not in school, providing a range of services such as mentoring, academic support, and recreational activities.
Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU)	The amount of money every maintained school receives for each pupil on the school roll, regardless of SEN.
Agency	Ability to act and make decisions that influence events and affect one’s world
Allied health professionals	People who hold a health qualification (excluding medical, nursing, or dental professionals) such as speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists.
Alternative provision	Education in a setting that is not a mainstream or special school, based on the needs of the child.
American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN)	A person with origins in the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.
Annual review	A process including a meeting to review the support a child or young person gets and if it is right for them.
Anthologies	Collections of literary works, often poems or short stories, usually selected by an editor and centred around a specific theme, genre, or time period. Anthologies offer readers a diverse sampling of literature within a particular focus.
Anti-racism	Recognising the existence of racism in its many forms and taking appropriate action to remove it
Appreciation	The act of recognizing and valuing the contributions, efforts, and qualities of others. Expressing appreciation in the workplace can be done through formal recognition programs or simple gestures of thanks, creating a positive and motivating environment.
Apprenticeships	Programs paid for by the government and the employer, offering work-based learning and a wage.
Approaches to Learning	The ways in which children learn, including openness and curiosity to tasks and challenges, persistence, imagination, attentiveness, and cognitive learning style.
Approved provider	A person who holds a provider approval under the Education and Care Services National Law.
APS	Average Point Score
AR	Annual Review
Areas of Learning	The 7 areas of learning and development in the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) include Communication and Language Development (CL or CLD); Expressive Arts and Design (EAD); Literacy Development (L or LD); Mathematics (M); Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED); Physical Development (PD); Understanding the World (UW). These areas cover children’s holistic development in school, nursery, or with a childminder. Click here for more details of the 7 Areas of Learning.
Art	The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination manifested through various mediums, including visual (painting, sculpture), auditory (music, literature), or performance-based (dance, theatre). Art aims to evoke emotions, communicate ideas, and explore cultural and aesthetic values.
ASC	Autistic Spectrum Condition (formally ASD – Autistic Spectrum Disorder)
Ask Don’t Tell	A Positive Discipline tool that encourages problem-solving by asking curiosity questions rather than issuing commands.
Asperger Syndrome	A form of autism with difficulties in social communication, interaction, and imagination. Removed from the American Psychiatric Association DSM in 2013.
Assessment	A way of working out what kind of support someone needs.
Assessment – Child Assessment	Information (usually from multiple sources) that is put together and examined and interpreted to make an appraisal of the child or judgment about the child’s development, abilities or needs.
Assessment – Developmental Rating Scale	The child’s performance is compared with a set of developmental norms for children of the same age established through research.
Assessment – Observational	This kind of assessment involves the adult systematically observing the child’s activities, behaviours, language, and level of development to determine what has been learnt, to support the child’s progress, and how to improve teaching and care for the child. A range of observational tools can be used including running records, time sampling, flow charts, duration recording, and diary recording.
Assessment – Portfolio	This takes the form of a collection of the child’s own work, which becomes a method of assessment when examined impartially. The criteria for determining what was put into the portfolio why and by whom must be known and considered, and judgements about the work and next stages in the child’s learning are made by having a set of pre-determined criteria to follow.
Assimilation	A term used in early childhood theory and proposed by a theorist Jean Piaget. When a child learns a new idea or concept it is fitted into what they currently know or think e.g. The child knows that small animals are called cats. But then, on seeing a dog, a small animal may also be a dog.
Association of Play Industries	A trade organization representing manufacturers, designers, and suppliers of playground equipment and play spaces. They uphold standards for safety, innovation, and the promotion of play’s importance.
Associational organ	The human brain is designed to constantly associate current experiences with prior knowledge and past learnings. This allows it to predict what might happen next and dictate our responses to various stimuli. Uncertainty disrupts this process, leaving the brain without reliable reference points to predict outcomes.
ASYE	Assessed and Supported Year in Employment
Asylum seeker	A refugee engaged in the legal process to seek a right to remain
At Risk	Describes children considered to have a higher probability of non-optimal development and learning. Related to Risk Factors.
Attachment	The deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space. In early childhood, attachment typically forms between a child and their primary caregiver(s), providing the child with a sense of security and a foundation for healthy emotional and social development.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)	A medical diagnosis related to behaviour and attention span, affecting the ability to concentrate and learn.
Attuned	Sensitive, positive and responsive to children’s cues regarding their emotions, interests, and communications
Attunement	Attunement is the process of deeply understanding and resonating with another person’s thoughts, feelings, and internal experience. It goes beyond simply observing and involves a genuine attempt to connect with the other person’s emotional state and see things from their perspective. Attunement is essential for establishing trust and helping someone feel understood.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)	Methods used to help people with disabilities communicate, such as signing, speech synthesizers, or symbols.
Autism	A lifelong developmental disorder affecting how a person communicates with and relates to others.
Autonomy	The right or condition of self-government; the capacity to make decisions for oneself and direct one’s own life, especially important in the development of children.
AWPU	Age Weighed Pupil Unit
Best Practices	The “best” ways of delivering services, supports, or information to achieve desired outcomes, determined by research or experience. Related to Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and Evidence-based Practice.
Bias	Leaning towards a way of thinking about people which influences engagement with them, based on assumptions or previous interactions with other people who have shared characteristics which may include, race, religion, sexuality or socio-economic status
Biculturalism	When adults and children practice the language and customs of two different cultural groups, valuing and celebrating rituals and customs of both cultures.
Bilingual	An individual who can speak two languages with similar or equal proficiency, often referred to in the context of bilingual education in the U.S., aiming for proficiency in English and another language. Related to English Language Learner (ELL), Limited English Speaking/Proficiency (LEP), Dual Language Learner (DLL).
Biologically	Relating to the science of life and how living organisms function, including the complex cellular processes, physiological mechanisms, and evolutionary adaptations that shape our bodies and their responses.
Biophilic design	A design approach that seeks to incorporate elements of the natural world into the built environment to create healthier, more sustainable, and more engaging spaces.
Blended Funding	A financing strategy that combines funding sources to pay for an integrated set of program services to a group of children, without needing to allocate and track costs by the individual funding source. Compared with Braided Funding and Layered Funding.
Braided Funding	A financing strategy used to coordinate funds from multiple sources to support the total cost of integrated services for individual children, requiring cost attribution and tracking by specific funding streams to assure no duplicate funding of service costs. Compared with Blended Funding and Layered Funding.
C&YP	Children and Young People
CAF	Common Assessment Framework
CAMHS	Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Also known as Solar)
CAMHS	Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services provide support, assessment, and treatment for children and young people experiencing wellbeing difficulties, or mental health problems, disorders, and illnesses.
Capacity (in mathematics)	How much a container can hold (linked to volume or the amount of space things take up)
Cardinality	Quantity (a number of things) or “how many-ness”
Career Ladder/Lattice	A metaphor for job or career progression, often depicted visually, including descriptions of skills, credentials, and degrees required to advance one’s career or move between related positions. Related to Career Pathway.
Career Pathway	A progression of educational qualifications and training that build upon one another, enabling early childhood practitioners to advance in their careers, allowing for flexible entry and exit points.
Carer	A family member or paid helper who regularly looks after a child or a sick, elderly, or disabled person.
CCGs	Clinical Commissioning Groups
Centre-Based Child Care	Child care provided in non-residential group settings, such as schools, churches, day care centres, or nursery schools. Related to Community-Based Child Care/Community-Based Organization (CBO).
Centre	A government licensed and regulated facility for children up to 6 years of age that includes various forms of early childhood education settings.
Certificated teacher	A qualified teacher who has been granted a practising certificate by the Teaching Council.
Certification (Staff)	The process by which an individual or institution is shown to have met a prescribed standard or set of standards.
CFST	Children and Families Support Team
Challenges	Refers to the common behavioural and skill-related difficulties that parents and educators face with young children, such as lack of listening, defiance, and conflict.
Challenging Behaviours	A broad term used to describe behaviours that adults find disruptive, difficult to manage, or that don’t conform to expectations. These behaviours can stem from various reasons, including unmet needs, communication difficulties, sensory sensitivities, or underdeveloped social-emotional skills. It’s essential to look beyond the surface-level behaviour and understand the child’s perspective to provide effective support.
Challenging Conversations	Conversations that address a difficult, sensitive, or controversial topic where there might be disagreement, conflicting views, or high emotional stakes. These conversations require careful navigation, active listening, and a balanced approach that values empathy and respect while seeking common ground or solutions.
Chaos to Calm	A mentorship program developed by Dr. Amanda Engelbach to support parents in adopting positive discipline principles.
Characteristics of Effective Learning (coel)	Statutory qualities that should be encouraged in Early Years settings to foster children’s motivation and inquisitive disposition towards learning opportunities. The three coel are: PLAYING AND EXPLORING, ACTIVE LEARNING, CREATING AND THINKING CRITICALLY.
CHC	Continuing Health Care
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)	NHS services for children and young people up to the age of 18 who need support with their mental health.
Child Care Access	The ability for families to find quality child care arrangements that satisfy their preferences, with reasonable effort and at an affordable price.
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)	Discretionary funding source for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), reauthorized in 2014 with new laws and requirements for quality and availability of CCDF-funded child care programs and activities.
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)	A federally funded program providing block grants to states to subsidize child care expenses for working parents/families, supporting quality and supply of child care.
Child Care and Development Fund Plan (CCDF Plan)	A plan developed by each state, territory, or tribe as an application for CCDBG funds, describing the child care programs and services available to eligible families.
Child Care Arrangement	Any combination of non-parental child care providers/settings used by families, often while working, including various types of care like centre-based, family/home-based, informal, and after-school programs.
Child Care Assistance	Public or private financial assistance intended to lower the cost of child care for families. Related to Child Care Subsidy.
Child Care Availability	Whether quality child care is accessible and available to families at a reasonable cost and effort. Related to Child Care Access.
Child Care Bureau	Office of Child Care.
Child Care Desert	A geographical area with an inadequate supply of high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care options.
Child Care Health Consultants (CCHC)	Licensed health professionals with expertise in child and community health and early care and education, linking health resources with child care facilities. Related to Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation.
Child Care Provider	An organization or individual providing early care and education services.
Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&R)	Local and state-wide entities providing services like guidance to parents seeking child care, professional development for early childhood professionals, and administering child care subsidies.
Child Care Slots	The number of openings a child care setting has available, based on its licensed capacity.
Child Care Subsidy	Financial assistance funded primarily by the federal CCDF program.
Child Care Supply and Demand	The total number of child care slots available relative to the aggregate of families’ needs and preferences for child care.
Child Development	The process by which children gain skills in social, emotional, intellectual, speech and language, and physical domains, including fine and gross motor skills. Related to Developmental Milestones and Approaches to Learning.
Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential	A widely earned credential administered by the Council for Professional Recognition.
Child Protective Services (CPS)	A public agency responsible for investigating reports of suspected child abuse or neglect and ensuring prevention and intervention services are provided.
Child psychologist	A psychologist with specialized training in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioural health issues in children and adolescents.
Child-initiated	Where a child determines the activity – what they will use, what they will do, who is involved
Child-led	Where the child takes the lead, and the adult responds
Childcare	A formal or informal arrangement for caring for children while their parents or adult carers are otherwise occupied.
Children	All babies, toddlers and young children from birth to the end of the EYFS, up to 71 months
Children & Families Act 2014	Legislation aiming to improve how agencies and services work together, offering more choice and control for families with complex needs.
Children with disability	Children who may have physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological, or learning impairments, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed.
CICC	Children in Care Council
CIN	Children in Need
Circle Time	A special time when children gather in a circle for various activities like singing, storytelling, and discussions.
CLA	Children Looked After. All children and young people in the care of a local authority. This includes children who attend schools or colleges outside of the local authority’s area.
CLD	Communication and Language Difficulties
Clinical Commissioning Groups (ccgs)	Groups of professionals commissioning health services, ensuring sufficient service delivery.
CME	Children Missing Education – if a child fails to attend school for 10 days or more or is not on any school role and not being home educated, they may be classed as CME.
Co-construction	When an adult or adults and child or children together form their meanings and knowledge, acknowledging the child’s expertise and treating their knowledge as valid.
Co-regulation	Co-regulation is the process of providing support, guidance, and modelling to help another person regulate their emotions and return to a state of balance. This is particularly important when someone is experiencing strong emotions or distress. Co-regulation involves being a calming presence and offering strategies for managing difficult feelings in a healthy way.
Coaching	A relationship-based process aimed at building capacity for specific professional skills and behaviours, offered to teaching and administrative staff by expert coaches. Related to Consultation and Technical Assistance.
Code of Practice	Guidance on policies and procedures for pupils with SEN to reach their full potential.
Cog	Chair of Governors plays a key leadership role in school with the key responsibility being to lead the governing body and work in partnership with the headteacher to promote and improve standards of educational achievement.
Cognition and Learning	Mental processes of knowing, including awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgement.
Cognitive	Relating to the ability to think, have, gain and use knowledge through memory and reasoning
Cognitive Ability	Thinking and reasoning abilities, often referred to instead of intelligence.
Cognitive Development	Also known as intellectual development, it’s about how the mind works, how knowledge is learnt, and how it is used.
Collaborative practice	Collaboration between professionals from different disciplines or fields, working together to achieve shared goals, based on shared values and commitment.
Commissioning	The process of planning, investing, ensuring delivery, and reviewing services for children, young people, and families.
Community-Based Child Care/Community-Based Organization (CBO)	Non-profit organizations providing educational or related services within local communities, subject to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Related to Centre-based Child Care.
Comparison (measure in mathematics)	Comparing one object to another on the basis of one attribute (e.g. Length, weight or capacity) is direct comparison; using a third object as the “measurer” is indirect comparison
Comparison (number in mathematics)	The relative size of numbers including finding which is larger or smaller
Competencies [Workforce Knowledge or Core Competencies]	The range of knowledge and skills early childhood practitioners need to provide effective services, linked with states’ early learning guidelines and framing Professional Development.
Complex additional needs	Needs based on a person’s disability; significant developmental delay; or complex social, emotional, or behavioural needs.
Composition (number in mathematics)	How a number is made up; includes all of the number combinations that make up a given number
Comprehension	Understanding of spoken or written material or practical situations.
Comprehensive Services	A range of coordinated services meeting the holistic needs of children and families in a program, from health screenings to family literacy and parent education.
Concept	A general idea formed in the mind about a thing or group of things, derived from specific instances or occurrences.
Confirmation bias	Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias that leads us to seek out and favour information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs or biases. It also causes us to interpret ambiguous information in ways that support our worldview. This bias can make it difficult to change our minds, grow, or address uncertainty in a balanced way because we actively avoid information that challenges our current perspective.
Connected toys	Toys that interact with, integrate with, or are controlled by apps on digital devices like smartphones or tablets. These toys often combine physical play components with digital elements that expand the play experience.
Connection Before Correction	An essential concept in Positive Discipline emphasizing the importance of building a strong, positive relationship with a child before addressing their behaviour for effective learning and problem-solving.
Consistency	Maintaining unwavering adherence to agreed-upon expectations, behaviours, and standards over time. Consistency in leadership and communication builds trust, reliability, and smooth operations within a team.
Consultation	A collaborative problem-solving process between an external consultant with expertise and an individual or group, facilitating the assessment and resolution of specific concerns. Related to Coaching and Technical Assistance.
Contingency	A future event or circumstance which is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty; the quality of being dependent on chance or something that may or may not happen.
Continuing Education Unit (CEU)	Credits earned by early childhood professionals for attending training/Professional Development, serving as a bridge between In-Service Training and college credit.
Continuity of Care	The provision of care by consistent caregivers in consistent environments over time, promoting stable and nurturing environments for optimal early brain development, emotional regulation, and learning.
Continuous provision	Environment and resources provided for children to explore freely, which support learning with or without an adult and enable children to revisit and build on their learning
Conversations	Two-way interactions where the child participates as much as the teacher using creative and interesting methods. For multilingual learners, conversations are essential for developing their language skills and need to be carefully scaffolded. This means providing support, such as visuals and gestures, to help them understand and participate.
COP	Code of Practice
Co-payment (Co-Pay)	Payment for part of a subsidized service that is the responsibility of parents/family members, possibly considering financial circumstances.
Cost of Care	The monetary cost of providing early care and education services, including factors like staff wages, rent, and supplies.
CP	Cerebral Palsy
CP	Child Protection
CPD	Continuing Professional Development (CPD) refers to a wide range of activities, both formal and informal, that help to maintain, enhance, and broaden professional skills throughout a career. Examples of CPD include training courses, conferences, networking, independent research, mentoring/coaching, and reflective practice.
CQC	Care Quality Commission
Creative thinking	Using imagination to generate new ideas
Credentials	Academic degrees, licenses, or certificates awarded for meeting state or national requirements in specialized roles within the early childhood workforce. Related to Certification (Staff).
Critical thinking	Analysing or synthesising information from which to make decisions or judgements, build theories or to reflect and evaluate
CSE	Child Sexual Exploitation – is a form of sexual abuse where a child or young person is sexually exploited for money, power, or status.
Cultural capital	What children bring with them, and develop from their experiences and opportunities
Cultural Competence	Incorporation of special knowledge about individuals and groups into standards, policies, and practices, fostering appreciation of diverse backgrounds and improving service quality and effectiveness.
Culturally aware	Being sensitive to and respectful of the different ways that people from different cultures express, experience, and label emotions. Understanding cultural nuances in emotion helps us avoid misinterpretations and fosters stronger cross-cultural connections.
Culture	The shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and artifacts that characterize a particular group or society. Culture is transmitted through social learning and shapes individuals’ worldviews, social interactions, and sense of identity.
Culture (In a Setting)	The shared values, attitudes, and goals that characterize an organization, shaping the collective behaviours, beliefs, and the overall “feel” of the workplace. A positive culture promotes employee engagement, well-being, and a sense of belonging.
Curriculum	A written plan detailing goals for children’s development and learning, the experiences to achieve these goals, and the roles of staff and parents in supporting children.
CYP	Children and Young People
CYPP	Children and Young People’s Plan
DAS	Duty and Advice Service
DCD	Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
DCS	Director of Children’s Services
Decision Support Tool	A form used to assess eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare.
Development	Physical growth and changes that occur from conception across the lifespan, influenced by maturation, learning, or both.
Developmental delay	A delay in a young child’s development compared with the child’s peers, which may be transient (temporary) or persistent (ongoing).
Developmental Domains	The five areas of child development: Physical, Social, Emotional, Cognitive, and Adaptive/Self-help, each influencing development in the others.
Developmental Milestones	A set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children should be able to do within a certain age range, used to monitor learning, behaviour, and development.
Developmental Outcomes	The condition of a child’s developmental health and life trajectory, influenced by determinants like family income, access to services, neighbourhood choice, social support, and genetics.
Developmental Screening and Assessment	Systematic measurement of a child’s development across multiple domains to identify developmental delays, using tools like questionnaires or checklists administered by professionals.
Developmentally Appropriate	Practices and settings adapted to match the age, characteristics, and developmental progress of specific groups of children, reflecting knowledge of child development and understanding of each child’s unique background.
Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP)	A set of guidelines for promoting children’s development that is both age and individually appropriate.
DfE	Department for Education is a ministerial department, supported by 18 agencies and public bodies. It is responsible for children’s services and education including higher and further education policy, apprenticeships, and wider skills in England.
Differentiated curriculum	Tailoring education to fit the learning styles of different children or groups.
Digital literacy	Skills associated with finding, identifying, evaluating and using information, understanding the purposes of the technology being used and having the skills to create content
Disability Action Plan	A tool for eliminating direct and indirect discrimination against people with disability, as outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth).
Disabled	Having a physical or mental impairment with substantial and long-term effects on daily activities.
Disagreement Resolution	Independent resolution services for disputes about SEND duties and provision.
Discipline	A distinct area of professional knowledge.
Disciplining	The practice of training and teaching someone (especially a child) to obey rules or a code of behaviour through the use of guidance, instruction, and in some cases, punishment. Ideally, disciplining should aim to support a child’s development of self-regulation and positive behavioural choices.
Discrimination	Unfair or less favourable treatment because of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion/belief or other characteristics
Dispositions	Enduring habits of mind and action
Distance Learning	Education and instruction where teachers and students communicate remotely, typically online, using email, video, or other communication means.
Drop in/Short Term Child Care	Child care arrangements for one-time or short-term, non-employment related activities, often found in locations like health spas or resort hotels. Related to On-Site Child Care.
DSG	Dedicated Schools Grant is government funding for local authorities to fund the schools that they manage.
DSL	Designated Safeguarding Lead is the person in school who is responsible at a strategic and day-to-day level for the safeguarding of children and young people.
DSM	The DSM-5 is the standard reference that healthcare providers use to diagnose autism.
DST	Decision Support Tool
Dual Generation Strategies	Approaches to stimulate young children’s development that also promote the capabilities and resources of parents, families, or caregivers, linking child services with parent and family services. Related to Two Generation Programs.
Dual Language Learners (DLL)	Children under five mastering their native language while learning English, with at least one parent or guardian speaking a non-English language at home. Related to English Language Learners (ELL), Limited English Speaking/Proficiency (LEP), Bilingual.
Dyscalculia	Specific learning difficulties in Maths.
Dyslexia	A learning difficulty affecting word reading and spelling.
Dyspraxia	A developmental disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination.
EAL	English as an Additional Language
Early Childhood Education	A formal arrangement for the care and education of young children, focusing on learning, teaching, social, and emotional development.
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services	Services for children subject to the Education and Care Services National Law, including kindergartens, long day care services, family day care services, and outside school hours care services.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation	An intervention to build the capacity of early childhood staff, programs, families, and systems in preventing, identifying, treating, and reducing the impact of mental health problems among children from birth to age six.
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)	Specialized instruction for young children with disabilities in various early childhood settings, mandated by federal Part B of the IDEA.
Early Head Start	A federally funded program for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, supporting child development and economic independence through comprehensive services.
Early Intervention	Services and supports delivered as early as possible to ameliorate or prevent long-term problems, including various forms of assistance and referrals.
Early Learning and Development Guidelines/Standards	Expectations describing what children should know and be able to do from birth until kindergarten entry, covering all developmental domains and being developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate.
Early Learning and Early Learning Service	Terms often used interchangeably with early childhood education, focusing on the educational aspect required by law.
Early Learning Goals (ELGs)	Goals across the 7 areas of learning in the EYFS. By the summer term of a child’s reception year, the EYFS teacher assesses whether children are meeting the ELGs (expected), ’emerging’ in those areas, or ‘exceeding’. Read our detailed guide to the Early Learning Goals here.
Early Literacy	Children’s knowledge and skills related to communication, language, reading, and writing before they can actually read and write, influenced by experiences with conversation, books, print, and stories.
Early Maths/Numeracy	The foundations of mathematical reasoning acquired in early childhood, involving number counting, measuring, sorting, noticing patterns, and basic operations.
ECB	Education Challenge Board consists of representatives from primary and secondary schools and Teaching Schools, the Local Authority, Department for Education and Ofsted with its main aim being to oversee the development of the education system in the local area.
Educare	A term combining education and care, popularized in New Zealand to denote childcare centres with an educational purpose.
Education	The process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include teaching, training, storytelling, discussion, reflection, and directed research. Education often takes place through formal instruction such as in schools, but also occurs informally within families and communities.
Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)	The agency funding education for learners between the ages of 3 and 19, or up to 25 for those with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)	An education, health and care (EHC) plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs. It is a legal document.
Educational Approach	The philosophy, method, or pedagogical style adopted by early childhood providers, with examples including Reggio-Emilia, Montessori, and Head Start.
Educational psychologist (EP)	A professional assessing how a child or young person can be supported to learn better.
EET	Education, Employment and Training
EFA	Education Funding Agency is an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Education responsible for distributing funding for state education in England for 3-19 year olds, or up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Egocentrism	The inability to see things from another person’s perspective.
EHA	Early Help Assessment
EHC/ EHCP	Education Health and Care Plan
EHCP	Education, Health and Care Plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.
EHE	Elective Home Education is where children are educated at home by their parents rather than in school.
EHP	Early Help Partnership
EHSS	Early Help Stay Safe
EIP	Education Improvement Partnership
ELG	Early Learning Goals. Read our detailed guide to Early Learning Goals here.
Emotional granularity	The ability to differentiate between subtle variations within the same emotional category. For example, instead of just feeling “angry,” someone with strong emotional granularity can pinpoint if they’re irritated, frustrated, enraged, or resentful.
Emotional literacy	The ability to understand, manage, and express our own emotions effectively, as well as recognize and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. It involves building self-awareness about our feelings and developing empathy for those around us.
Emotional vocabulary	The range of words we use to describe the vast spectrum of our emotions. A robust emotional vocabulary allows us to express our inner experience with greater nuance and precision.
Empathy	The ability to understand and share the feelings of others, creating a foundation for compassion, strong relationships, and a supportive environment.
Endogenous	Originating or produced within an organism, tissue, or cell. In the context of parenting, endogenous neurochemicals are those naturally released by the body in response to various experiences of childcare and interaction with children.
Energy-dense Food	Foods that pack a significant amount of calories into a relatively small volume, often due to higher fat or sugar content.
English Language Learner (ELL)	A child learning English coming from a home or environment where the primary language is not English, often proficient in their own language but not in English. Related to Dual Language Learners (DLL), Limited English Speaking/Proficiency (LEP), Bilingual.
EP	Educational Psychologist
Epilepsy	A health condition causing seizures, affecting the brain.
Epistemology	The theory of what is known and how it comes to be known.
Equality Act 2010	Legislation protecting people from discrimination in various settings.
ESOL	English for Speakers of Other Languages
Ethnicity	Being from a particular group of people or those who identify with each other due to shared language, nationality, culture or religion
Evaluation	The process of determining the value or worth of something, assessing its quality and effectiveness.
Even Start	A family literacy program providing parents/families with literacy instruction and assisting in promoting their children’s educational development, funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)	A 2015 federal law reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, replacing No Child Left Behind requirements and promoting early learning coordination, preschool alignment, and capacity building for early childhood education. Authorized Preschool Development Grants.
Everyday activities	The structures and routines of the day, e.g. Mealtimes, nap times, story time
Evidence-based	Practices or policies that have been rigorously tested through scientific research and have been shown to produce reliably positive outcomes. In the context of early childhood, evidence-based practice ensures that the best available knowledge informs decisions about care and education.
Evidence-Based Practice	Practices or services grounded in evidence, demonstrating improvement in outcomes, standardized, replicable, and effective within a given setting and for a specific group of participants. Related to Best Practices.
EWO	Education Welfare Officer
EWS	Education Welfare Service
Executive Function	Cognitive skills contributing to self-regulation, including cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control.
EY	Early Years
EYFS	Early Years Foundation Stage, the statutory curriculum for children aged 0 – 5 years in England, covering childcare and school education.
EYFS	The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a statutory framework established by the UK government that sets out standards for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to five years old. It emphasizes holistic development, ensuring children’s well-being across various domains, including communication, physical skills, personal and social development, and understanding of the world.
EYFSP	Early Years Foundation Stage Profile
EYST	Early Years Support Team
Facial expression	The configuration of facial muscles that can communicate inner emotional states. Traditional approaches to teaching emotions often link specific facial expressions to specific emotional categories (e.g., smile = happy).
Faith	Strong beliefs which might be linked to religious doctrine or tradition
Family	Parents, Caregivers, or others who have primary responsibilities for the care of a child.
Family (Parent) Engagement	An interactive process of relationship-building between early childhood professionals and families that is mutual, respectful, and responsive to the family’s language and culture, supporting child development, school readiness, and well-being. Related to Parent/Family Involvement.
Family Child Care	Child care provided in a provider’s home setting for one or more unrelated children, with most states having regulatory guidelines based on the number and ages of children served. Related to Home-based Child Care, Kith and Kin Child Care, Family, Friend and Neighbour (FFN) Child Care, Informal Child Care.
Family Child Care Networks	Community-based programs offering services and supports to affiliated family child care providers, including technical assistance, coaching, consultation, training workshops, and networking opportunities, primarily funded through CCDF.
Family Literacy	Programs supporting literacy for all family members, designed to help families overcome cycles of illiteracy and poverty by providing integrated early childhood education, adult literacy, and parenting education.
Family support services	Services or agencies that provide assistance to families to support their functioning and the wellbeing and development of their children.
Family, Friend, and Neighbour (FFN) Child Care	Child care provided by relatives, friends, and neighbours, often in unregulated settings. Related to Kith and Kin Child Care, Informal Child Care.
FAP	Fair Access Protocol applies to certain children when it has not been possible to secure a school place for them through the normal in-year admissions process.
FASD	Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder
Financing Strategies	Funding mechanisms and approaches supporting early care and education services, including Blended Funding, Braided Funding, and Layered Funding.
Fine Motor Skills	Control of small muscles of the body for skilful actions, such as drawing, cutting, handwriting, and playing musical instruments. Compared with Gross Motor Skills.
Fine Motor Skills	The coordination of small muscles, like those in the hands and fingers, used for activities such as drawing, writing, and buttoning.
Fine motor skills	The ability to perform precise and coordinated movements using smaller muscle groups in the hands, fingers, and wrists. Fine motor skills are crucial for tasks like writing, drawing, using tools, buttoning clothes, and manipulating small objects.
First Tier Tribunal (SEN and disability)	A legal body hearing appeals about SEN needs assessments and EHC plans.
Flexible thinking	The ability to quickly change the direction of thinking, finding new ways to approach a situation or solve a problem
Foetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD)	A condition from prenatal alcohol exposure causing brain development issues.
Forest School	Nature-based communities where trained practitioners nurture learner-led exploration and discovery.
Formative nutrition	Nutrition that plays a critical role in the early stages of growth and development, providing the essential building blocks for healthy organ formation, strong bones, and optimal cognitive function.
Fragile X Syndrome	A cause of inherited learning difficulties.
Franchisee	An individual or company who has been granted the legal right to operate a business using the trademarks and operating model of a parent company (the franchisor). In this context, franchisees would be offering the training and support services developed by the Early Years Company.
Free flow	Where children have the choice to move freely between areas and environments, indoors and outdoors, during their play.
FS	Foundation Stage
FSM	Free School Meals
FTE	Fixed Term Exclusion from school
Funding	Financial support provided by the Government to help families cover the costs of childcare services.
Funds of knowledge	Knowledge that is linked to cultural practice within families and communities
GCSE	General Certificate of Secondary Education
Gender	A social construction describing attributes of masculinity and femininity, especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones, or one of a range of other identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female.
Giftedness	Definitions vary but generally refer to advanced ability or skill relative to age peers or a specific talent or skill.
GLD	General Learning Difficulties
GLD	Good Level of Development
Global Quality	Features in an early childhood setting affecting children’s development, including interactions with caregivers and others as well as the physical space and materials.
Good Level of Development (GLD)	A judgement made by Reception teachers about whether a child has reached the expected standard by achieving the Early Learning Goals, focusing on 5 areas: personal, social and emotional development; physical development; communication and language; mathematics; and literacy. Achieving expected ELGs in these areas is assessed as having a ‘Good Level of Development’.
Good Play Guide	An independent organization founded by Dr. Amanda Gummer that provides an expert accreditation service for children’s products. This accreditation is based on rigorous assessment of the product’s educational value, developmental benefits, and overall contribution to healthy play.
Granularity	The degree of detail or specificity when describing experiences. In the context of emotions, greater granularity means using many different emotion words to precisely label one’s feelings (rather than simply “good” or “bad”).
Graphics (mathematics)	The visual marks and representations (graphics) young children choose to use to explore mathematical meanings and communicate their thinking, including mark-making and standard symbols
Gross motor skills	The ability to control and coordinate large muscle groups that enable movements such as running, jumping, climbing, throwing, and maintaining balance. Gross motor skills are essential for physical development and participation in various activities.
Group size	The number of children grouped together in a centre who interact with the same teachers in a designated space.
Guided Participation	Helping a child learn what is needed to be part of a group or culture through guidance.
Head Start	A federal program in the US providing comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income families, designed to enhance children’s well-being and cognitive skills for school readiness.
Head Start Bureau	Former name of the Office of Head Start (OHS).
Head Start State Collaboration Grants	Funding to states and territories to create partnerships supporting Head Start and other early childhood initiatives and service systems, awarded by The Office of Head Start (OHS).
Hearing Impairment (HI)	Ranges from mild hearing loss to profound deafness.
Heuristic play	Exploratory play with everyday items, often arranged for mobile babies and toddlers to freely explore groups of objects
Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)	An experienced teaching assistant delivering learning activities under teacher direction.
History	The study and interpretation of past events, particularly those related to human societies. Historians analyse primary sources, artifacts, and evidence to understand how societies functioned, changed over time, and shaped the present. History provides insights into different cultures, perspectives, and the factors that influence human behaviour.
HLTA	Higher Level Teaching Assistant
HMCI	His Majesty’s Chief Inspector
HMI	His Majesty’s Inspectors are employed by Ofsted to carry out inspections of education and care providers, and to challenge and help them to get the support they need to improve.
Holistic	Recognising all aspects of children’s development and learning, including physical, personal, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive
Home Language	The primary language spoken by a child at home. Related to Native Language.
Home-Based Child Care	Child care provided in a caregiver’s home setting, which may be regulated or unregulated, paid or unpaid, listed or unlisted. Narrower terms include Family Child Care, Informal Child Care, and Family, Friend and Neighbour Care.
Home-Visiting Programs	Programs aiming to improve child outcomes by enhancing parenting skills of high-risk parents, matching trained professionals with families to provide services in home settings, including health check-ups and parenting advice.
Homophobia	Negative attitudes and behaviours towards those who are lesbian, gay and bisexual
HOS	Head of Service
HST	Hearing Support Team
Humility	A quality of being humble, demonstrating a modest view of one’s importance and a focus on the needs of others. In a workplace, it means prioritizing team success, collaboration, and recognizing accomplishments of colleagues.
Identity	Sense of self influenced by many factors such as social, cultural and political context, family background, gender, and faith
Immune boosting	The process of supporting the immune system’s natural functions through dietary choices, lifestyle habits, and potentially supplements, with the goal of enhancing its ability to fight off infections and diseases.
Immunity	The body’s intricate defence system designed to protect against harmful pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It involves a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to identify and neutralize foreign invaders.
In-Service Training	Professional development for early childhood providers to enhance skills and remain current, outside of a credentialing program, with a certain number of hours typically required to maintain certifications.
Inclusion	Ensuring all children, regardless of differences, are welcomed, accepted, and able to participate fully in early childhood programmes, environments, and communities.
Inclusivity	The practice of designing products, media, and environments in a way that welcomes, supports, and values people of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities. Inclusive design involves considering the diversity of users and creating experiences that are accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Income Eligibility	Qualification for a program or service based on household income and criteria like family size.
Individual Education Plan	A document describing the adjustments and strategies used to enable a child with disability to participate in learning on the same basis as their peers, as set out in the Disability Standards for Education 2005.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)	A plan outlining special education and related services for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 21, based on the IDEA, Part B, representing an agreement between the school/provider and the parent/family.
Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP)	A written plan outlining services for children ages birth through two years and their families eligible for early intervention services, mandated by the IDEA, Part C. Related to Early Intervention.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)	A federal law providing free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities, governing how states and public agencies provide special education, early intervention, and related services. Related to Part B and Part C of the IDEA.
Induction	A structured process of introducing a new employee to their role, the company, its policies, and the workplace culture, providing them with essential information and support to facilitate a smooth transition. A strong induction process helps new employees feel welcomed and sets a foundation for success.
Infants	Children from birth to one year old, sometimes up to 18 months or until the child begins walking.
Informal Child Care	Child care provided by relatives, friends, and neighbours, often in unregulated settings. Related to Family, Friend and Neighbour (FFN) Care, Kith and Kin Child Care.
Integrated service delivery	The combination of different disciplines and services into a comprehensive service delivery system, underpinned by a common purpose.
Internet-connected toys	Physical toys that are connected to the internet and respond based on interactions.
Intersectionality	The way in which various identity markers are layered or overlap within one person, which can increase the impact or the degree to which discrimination is experienced
Intersubjectivity	The process by which individuals engaged in a task with different understandings come to form a shared understanding.
Intrinsic motivation	Motivation that is driven by inherent satisfaction; the behaviour itself is its own reward
IRO	Independent Reviewing Officer
Job Coach	Supports individuals in fulfilling their work tasks.
JSNA	Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
Key Person	In the EYFS, a ‘key person’ refers to someone who provides a caring and secure relationship for a small group of children, attending to their individual needs and serving as a main point of contact for parents and carers.
Key Person	An identified staff member who builds a close, supportive relationship with an individual child and their family.
Kindergarten	A term coined by education pioneer Friedrich Froebel from the German words “kinder” meaning children, and “garten” meaning garden. Kindergarten is the first formal educational stage for young children, typically ranging in age from 4 to 6 years old. Kindergarten programs focus on early childhood education, providing learning activities, play, and socialization to help prepare children for the transition to primary school. Usually called Nursery Schools in the UK, Kindergarten is the more commonly used terminology in the US, Europe, Australia, Japan and China.
Kindergarten Association (free kindergarten association)	In the US, a grouping of kindergartens under an incorporated society or registered company.
Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA)	In the US, assessments to assess what children know and can do as they enter kindergarten, aligned with states’ early learning and development standards. Sometimes referred to as kindergarten readiness assessments (kras).
Kindergarten Transition	The process or milestone of moving from a preschool setting to kindergarten.
Kindness	The quality of being friendly, empathetic, and generous in one’s interactions towards others, demonstrating care and concern for their wellbeing. Kindness fosters a positive and supportive work environment.
Kith and Kin Child Care	Child care provided by relatives (kin), and friends and neighbours (kith), often in unregulated settings. Related to Informal Child Care, Family, Friend and Neighbour (FFN) Child Care, Home-based Child Care.
Knowledge	Facts, information, understanding about things
KPI	Key Performance Indicator
KS1 (Key Stage 1)	In the UK, Key Stage 1 is the first stage of primary school and covers children aged 5 to 7 (National Curriculum Years 1 and 2). At the end of Key Stage 1 a child will typically take tests in English reading, English grammar, punctuation and spelling and maths.
KS2 (Key Stage 2)	In the UK, Key Stage 2 covers children aged 7 to 11 (National Curriculum Years 3 to 6). At the end of Key Stage 2 a child will typically take further tests in English reading, English grammar, punctuation and spelling and maths.
KS3 (Key Stage 3)	In the UK, Key Stage 3 covers children aged 11 to 14 (National Curriculum Years 7 to 9).
KS4 (Key Stage 4)	In the UK, Key Stage 4 covers children aged 14 to 16 (National Curriculum Years 10 and 11). At the end of Key Stage 4 most children will take GCSEs or other national tests.
KTC	Knowledge Transfer Centre
LA	Local Authority
LAC	Looked After Children
Lacking capacity	Inability to make decisions for oneself.
LADO	Local Authority Designated Officer manages accusations of potential abuse against staff/volunteers working with children and young people.
LADO	Local Authority Designated Officer
Language development	The process by which children learn to understand and use language, both spoken and written. For multilingual learners, this process involves acquiring multiple languages simultaneously or sequentially. Educators play a key role in supporting this development by providing rich language experiences in both the child’s home language and the language of instruction.
Layered Funding	A financing strategy where multiple sources pay for services, with foundational services funded by one or more streams and supplemental services by additional, separate streams. Related to Blended Funding, Braided Funding.
LCI	Learning, Communication and Interaction Team
LDD	Learning Difficulty or Disability
Learning	Changes in behaviour, language, knowledge due to environmental influences, experiences, and people.
Learning Disability	A term for specific kinds of learning problems or impairments affecting the ability to learn and use certain skills.
Learning Dispositions	Refers to a child’s orientation to learning, though the term lacks precision.
Learning mentors	Staff supporting students to engage more effectively in learning.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)	The legal requirement of educating children with disabilities in regular classes, with suitable aids and supports, to the maximum extent appropriate, based on the IDEA, Part B. Related to Inclusion.
Leuven Scale	The Leuven Scale is a five-point scale that allows teachers, child care experts, and nursery practitioners to measure children’s emotional well-being and involvement sweetspot – two critical components of learning, progress and development in children
LGBTQIA+	A collective term representing people who identify as: lesbian; gay (generally refers to gay men but can also be an umbrella term for gay men and women); bisexual (the attraction to multiple genders, often including one’s own gender); transgender (when a person’s gender does not line up with their assigned sex at birth); queer (catch-all term for anyone in the community, to be more inclusive to people who do not fit into the other categories; the “q” might include “questioning” people who are exploring their sexual or gender identities and may not want to commit to a certain label); intersex (someone born with biological sex characteristics that are not traditionally associated with male or female bodies); aromantic (someone who experiences little to no romantic attraction)/asexual (someone who experiences little or no sexual attraction)/agender (someone who identifies with no particular gender); plus (inclusive of all other identities)
Licence size	The maximum number of children a centre can have on premises at any time or across different home-educator sites in a home-based scheme.
License Exempt Child Care	Legally operated child care that is exempt from regulatory requirements set forth by the state or the local licensing agency. To receive subsidies, license/legally exempt child care must comply with requirements of the Subsidy system (e.g., mandatory criminal background checks, health and safety inspections, etc.).
Licensed Capacity	Refers to the maximum number of children allowed to be in a licensed or regulated child care program or setting at any one time. Capacity is based upon the number of children for which adequate facilities and teachers/caregivers are provided, in accordance with supervision and space requirements.
Licensed Child Care	Child care programs operated in homes or in facilities that fall within the regulatory system of a state or community and comply with those regulations. Many states have different licensing and regulatory requirements.
Licensed early childhood service	A service with a current licence issued under regulations, including various types of ECE settings.
Licensing Inspection	Onsite inspections of a child care program to monitor compliance with licensing or other regulatory requirements. Once a child care program has been licensed, it will receive inspections to ensure ongoing compliance.
Licensing or Regulatory Requirements	Refers to requirements that providers must meet to legally operate child care services in a state or locality, including registration requirements established under state, local, or Tribal law.
Life skills/ Social and Emotional skills	The skills and traits that are targeted outcomes of Positive Discipline. Examples include problem-solving, critical thinking, resilience, communication, and compassion.
Limited English Speaking/Limited English Proficiency (LEP)	Individuals who speak a language other than English as their first language and have limited ability to speak, read, or write in English.
Linguistic Competence	The ability of an organization and its staff to communicate effectively with, and provide information to, people who may have limited English skills, low literacy, or disabilities.
Literacy (Emergent literacy)	In Early Childhood Education, literacy encompasses reading and writing along with social participation and communication.
Lived Experiences	The personal, first-hand accounts, feelings, and perceptions of a person who has lived with selective mutism. These experiences offer a unique and valuable perspective on the challenges and triumphs associated with the disorder.
Lles	Local Leaders of Education
Local Authority (LA)	The local government body providing services, including education.
Local Offer	Information about support and services for children and young people with SEN and disabilities.
Looked After Child (LAC)	A child in the care of the local authority.
Loose Parts	Open-ended and creative play that involves using a variety of materials, objects, and items that children can move, carry, combine, redesign, and manipulate.
Low technology	Technologies that are non-mechanical, not advanced or “high technology” such as digital technology
LSA	Learning Support Assistant
Lsoas	Lower Super Output Areas
MACFA	Multi Agency Case File Audit
Mainstream school	Schools providing education for all children, regardless of SEN or disabilities.
Mainstreaming	Integrating children with special learning needs and disabilities into regular early childhood programmes.
MARF	Multi Agency Referral Form is to be completed when making a referral about a child/ren to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).
Market Rate	The typical listed price for child care in a given geographic area, varying due to factors such as location, types of care setting, and provider qualifications.
MASH	Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub is a partnership between the local authority, police, the National Health Service and other key partner agencies working together to safeguard children, young people and adults.
Mastery	Embedded competence and confidence within an area of learning which can be recalled and transferred to different contexts
MAT	Multi Academy Trust is a group of schools that is governed through a single set of members and directors.
Maths	(Also called mathematics) The abstract science that studies the concepts of quantity, structure, space, and change. It utilizes numbers, symbols, and logical reasoning to investigate patterns, solve problems, and model real-world phenomena.
MCA	Mental Capacity Assessment
Mckinney-Vento Act	The primary piece of federal legislation related to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness, entitling them to a Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), including preschool education.
Mealtimes	Designated periods of the day specifically set aside for the preparation and consumption of meals, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack times. Mealtimes often serve as a time for social interaction and bonding within families or childcare settings.
Mental capacity assessment (MCA)	Assessment to determine someone’s ability to make decisions.
Mentoring	A form of Professional Development characterized by an ongoing relationship between a novice and an experienced teacher or provider to deliver personalized instruction and feedback.
Metacognition	Thinking about one’s own thinking and knowledge.
Metaphorically	The term metaphorically indicates the use of a word or phrase to represent a concept in a symbolic or figurative way, rather than a literal interpretation.
Methodology	The theory and process of how research is conducted, distinct from the specific techniques (methods) used to gather data.
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Programs	A Head Start program serving families engaged in agricultural work who have changed their residence from one geographical location to another in the preceding two-year period.
Military Child Care	Regulated child care supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) for children of military personnel.
Minoritised	The process by which certain groups have less power or representation compared to members of other groups in society
Mixed Delivery System/Diverse Delivery System	An integrated system of early childhood education services offered through a variety of programs and providers, supported with a combination of public and private funding.
Mixed/Multi-Age Grouping	Grouping children so that the chronological age span within a group is greater than one year, prevalent in Family or Home-based child care settings.
MLD	Moderate Learning Difficulty. This can be general academic attainment significantly below peers, requiring additional educational provision.
Modification	A strategy that changes what a child with Special Needs is expected to learn, such as adapting the material taught to a Typically Developing Child.
Monitoring	The process used to enforce child care providers’ compliance with licensing rules and regulations, including “differential monitoring” based on a facility’s compliance history.
Montessori	An educational philosophy developed by Maria Montessori that emphasizes child-led learning, freedom within limits, hands-on exploration, and respect for children’s natural development. Read more about Maria Montessori and the Montessori method here.
Mortality	The rate of death within a population. Child mortality specifically refers to the death of children under the age of five.
Motor Development	The development of physical skills using the body and its parts.
Motor functions	Relating to muscle movement
Motor Skills	Fine motor skills using small muscles (e.g., buttoning) and gross motor skills using larger muscles (e.g., climbing).
MSI	Multi-Sensory Impairment
Multi-agency working	Collaboration across different sectors to support children, young people, and families.
Multi-sensory impairment (MSI)	Combination of visual and hearing difficulties, sometimes referred to as deafblind.
Multilingual learner	A child who speaks more than one language with varying levels of fluency. These children may have a dominant home language and be in the process of acquiring additional languages, such as the language spoken in their educational setting.
Music	The art of combining sounds in a structured and temporally organized way to create a composition with elements like rhythm, melody, harmony, and timbre. Music serves various purposes, including expression of emotions, storytelling, cultural transmission, and entertainment.
Myopia	A common vision condition, also known as nearsightedness, in which distant objects appear blurry. Myopia often develops due to environmental and genetic factors.
Native Language	The language that a person learns at home as a child, typically from a parent, also known as “mother tongue” or Home Language.
Natural materials	Materials found in nature (e.g., wood, sand, plants, water) that provide rich and open-ended opportunities for sensory exploration and creativity.
Nature Deficit disorder	The idea that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors than they have in the past, and the belief that this change results in a wide range of behavioural problems.
NCTL	National College for Teaching and Leadership is responsible for administering the training of new and existing teachers in England, as well as the regulation of the teaching profession and offers school leaders and senior children’s services leaders opportunities for professional development.
NCY	National Curriculum Year
Need	A fundamental physiological or psychological requirement for well-being. Humans have basic needs in several domains, including connection, safety, freedom/autonomy, mastery/competence, and fun/play.
NEET	Not in Education, Employment or Training is the term used to describe a young person who is no longer in the education system and who is not working or being trained for work.
Neural Pathways	Neural pathways are the intricate connections formed between neurons (brain cells) that facilitate communication within the brain; they are essential for learning, memory, and all cognitive functions.
Neurochemical	A chemical substance that plays a role in the transmission of signals within the nervous system. Neurochemicals can influence a wide variety of processes, including mood, cognition, behaviour, and emotional response.
Neurological functions	Relating to the function of nerves and the nervous system
Neuropaths (Neural Pathways)	Networks of connected neurons in the brain that form the basis for learning, memory, and all mental functions.
Neuroplasticity	Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s remarkable ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections and pathways throughout life, allowing it to adapt, learn, and recover from experiences or injuries.
Neuroplasticity	The brain’s inherent ability to change and adapt throughout life, forming new connections and pathways in response to experiences.
Neuropsychology	A branch of psychology that focuses on the complex relationship between the brain, behaviour, and cognitive functions. Neuropsychologists study how various brain structures and systems influence thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Neuroscience	Neuroscience is the field of science dedicated to understanding the structure, function, development, and complexities of the nervous system, particularly the brain.
Neurotransmitters	Chemical messengers within the brain that transmit signals between nerve cells (neurons). They play essential roles in regulating a wide range of functions including mood, sleep, appetite, memory, concentration, and movement.
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)	Care package for individuals over 18 with complex healthcare needs, funded by the NHS.
NLE	National Leaders of Education are outstanding headteachers who work with schools in challenging circumstances to support school improvement.
Nles	National Leaders of Education
NLG	National Leaders of Governance are highly effective chairs of governors who support chairs of governors in other schools.
Non-traditional Hour Child Care	Child care provided during non-traditional work hours such as weekends, before 6am, or after 7pm, Monday-Friday.
NQT	Newly Qualified Teacher is someone who has gained Qualified Teacher Status but has not yet completed the statutory 12-month programme known as the ‘induction for newly qualified teachers’.
Numerals	The symbols which represent numbers e.g. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7…
Nursery Schools	Child care programs for children ages 3-5, operating fewer hours/day and days/week than other options, with less regulatory oversight.
Nutrient-dense Food	Foods that contain a high concentration of essential vitamins, minerals, fibre, and other beneficial compounds relative to the number of calories they provide.
Nutrition	The process by which living organisms obtain and utilize the necessary substances (nourishment) for health, growth, and the maintenance of bodily functions. Good nutrition involves consuming a balanced diet that provides essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
Objective (for learning)	Short, specific statements about the intended learning
Observation	The systematic process of watching and documenting a child’s behaviours, interactions, and activities in an educational or childcare setting.
Observational Tools	Instruments used to observe quality aspects of a learning setting or environment, such as the Environment Rating Scales (ECERS, ITERS, FCCERS, SACCERS) and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS).
Office of Child Care (OCC)	A division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services supporting low-income families to access affordable, high-quality child care and After-School programs, administering the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).
Office of Head Start (OHS)	Manages Head Start grant funding and oversees local agencies providing Head Start services.
Ofsted	Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages in the UK.
On Site Child Care	Child care programs in facilities where parents/family members are on the premises, such as school campuses or employment settings.
Open Communication	An environment where individuals feel comfortable sharing information, ideas, concerns, and potential solutions without fear of judgment, negative consequences, or dismissal. Open communication fosters a sense of trust, collaboration, and problem-solving within a team.
Open Day	An event organized by a childcare facility for prospective parents and families to visit, meet the staff, and learn about the services offered.
Open-ended	Having no specific direction or purpose, and no pre-determined use, process or outcome, to be interpreted and directed by the children
Opioid receptor	A protein located on the surface of cells throughout the brain and other tissues. Opioid receptors bind to opioids (natural or synthetic), triggering a cascade of changes within the cell that produce various effects, such as reducing pain and altering mood.
Ordinality	The position and order of the counting numbers, including the relative place of any number in the number sequence as being next to, before, after, near to, in between, etc any other number
Orientation	The way round an object or image is turned or facing
OT	Occupational Therapist
Out of School Time (OST)	Time outside of regular school hours needing child care and other programming for school-age children.
Outcomes – Child Outcomes	Changes in a child’s skills, abilities, attitudes, behaviour, understanding, and knowledge expected from early childhood programmes.
Overindulgence	The act of consuming something, particularly food or drink, to a point that exceeds what is considered healthy or moderate, leading to feelings of discomfort or potential negative health consequences.
PA	Persistent Absence
Palmar grip	Using a fist grip to pick up objects
Panco	Physical Activity and Nutrition Coordinator, a specialist role promoting positive nutrition and physical activity in the Early Years.
Parasympathetic nervous system	The part of the nervous system responsible for the “rest-and-digest” response, promoting calm, relaxation, and restoration.
Parent carer forum	A group of parents and carers of disabled children working with local services to meet needs.
Parent Choice	Families’ ability to access Child Care Arrangements of their choosing, with CCDF stipulating that parents receiving Subsidies should be able to use all legal forms of care.
Parent Involvement	Active parent/family participation in a child’s care and education, measured by attendance at school meetings, volunteering, or serving on school committees.
Parent-Led	Services run primarily by parents, providing early childhood education and training for parents.
Parenting Education	Instruction directed toward parents and families to enhance effective parenting skills.
Parents	Used here to include all carers of children in the EYFS
Parents/carers	Parents who have primary caring responsibilities for a child.
Part B of the IDEA	Outlines educational and funding guidelines for children with disabilities aged 3-21, including requirements for the Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Part C of the IDEA	Guidelines for children with disabilities from birth through two years, including requirements for Individualized Family Services Plans (IFSP) and Early Intervention services.
Participation	Engagement in play and learning experiences, generating a sense of belonging for each child.
PBP	Positive Behaviour Plan
PD	Physical Disability
Pedagogy	The understanding of how children learn and develop and the practices through which adults can enhance that process, rooted in values and beliefs about what we want for children and supported by knowledge, theory and experience
PEEP	Peer Early Education Partnership
Peer support	Emotional, social, or practical help provided by fellow pupils.
Peer-to-Peer Technical Assistance/TA	Professional Development where early care and education professionals collaborate to improve caregiving and educational practices.
Peers	Other children of the same age or developmental level, not necessarily friends, important for social learning.
Peps	Personal Education Plans
Person Centred Reviews	Reviews exploring what’s working and not working for an individual, using person centred approaches.
Personal assistant	Support staff offering individual care to disabled children and young people.
Personal budget	Money set aside for support in an education, health, and care plan.
Personal Education Plan (PEP)	Part of a care plan for a looked after child, outlining educational needs.
Personal Health Budget	Money for health and wellbeing needs, agreed between the individual and NHS.
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA)	Legislation designed to move adults into the workforce, promote family stability, and give states flexibility in designing public-assistance programs, instituting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
PEX	Permanent Exclusion from school
Phoenix Cups	A tool for understanding, managing, and regulating emotions. The Phoenix Cups framework helps individuals identify their core emotional needs and develop strategies for fulfilling those needs in healthy ways. Developed by Sandi Phoenix
PHP	Positive Handling Plan
Physical disability (PD)	Disabilities affecting mobility, including congenital conditions, accidents, or injuries.
PI	Physical Impairment
PI	Performance Indicator
Pianget’s Theory of Cognitive Development	Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development proposes that children’s thinking evolves through four distinct stages (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational) as they actively construct their understanding of the world through exploration and interaction with their environment. Read a detailed description here.
Planned activities	Experiences planned specifically to further develop skills and knowledge or introduce new ideas
Play	Voluntary activities for enjoyment, through which children engage with the world, developing competencies across Developmental Domains.
Play Based Learning	An approach to early education that uses play as the primary vehicle for learning.
Play expert	A professional who possesses specialized knowledge and expertise in the field of children’s play. They understand the significance of play in a child’s overall development, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth.
Play-based Learning	A learning methodology that leverages the natural power of play for children to explore the world around them, discover new concepts, and build essential skills. In play-based learning environments, children’s interests drive the activities, and adults provide resources, materials, and gentle guidance to enhance their experiences. This approach fosters creativity, intrinsic motivation, and deep understanding.
PLP	Personalised Learning Plan
PMLD	Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities
Portfolios	Collections of photos and stories about a child’s activities in childcare, often used for assessment and documentation.
Positive Discipline	An approach to parenting and teaching children that focuses on respect, kindness, and long-term positive outcomes. This method eschews punishment and focuses on understanding child behaviour and providing tools to encourage responsibility and problem-solving skills.
POT	Position of Trust is used to refer to people who work with children or young people, whether on a paid or a voluntary basis.
Practitioner	A professional working in a nursery setting or early years education environment, providing care, support, and educational experiences for young children.
Practitioner research	Research conducted by those caring for or teaching children, aimed at adding to current research literature.
Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K)	Programs for three and four-year-olds focusing on School Readiness, often government-funded and held to high standards, sometimes operated in conjunction with public school districts.
Pre-Service Education/Training	Education and training undergone by child care staff before assuming their role or position within a program.
Prejudice	Preconceived idea about a person or group that is not factual or based on experience; it can be positive or negative
Preparing for Adulthood	Transition from childhood to adult life for young people.
Preschool	Programs providing early education and care before kindergarten, for children aged 2.5-5 years, publicly or privately operated.
Preschool Development Grant (PDG)	Competitive grants for states to improve coordination, quality, and access to early childhood education, increasing parent choice and supporting high-need and rural communities.
Pre-schoolers	Children aged 3 to 5 or 6 years, before starting primary school.
Prescriptive	Describes something with a fixed and narrow set of possibilities, limiting a child’s opportunities for exploration and self-directed learning.
Preventative nutrition	The practice of incorporating specific foods, nutrients, and dietary patterns that protect against chronic diseases, enhance immune function, and promote a state of overall well-being throughout the lifespan.
Primary Caregiver	The adult who takes primary responsibility for a child’s daily care, either at home or in an ECE setting.
Primary Caregiving System	A practice in ECE where a teacher/educator takes individual responsibility for a child’s care and education.
Prime Areas of Learning	The 3 prime areas are Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, and Communication and Language. These areas are essential for children to develop in order to access and achieve in the ‘specific areas’.
Problem solving	Something you do not immediately know the answer to, so have to decide a way to find a solution
Process Quality	Features related to caregiver-child interactions affecting children’s development, compared with Global Quality and Structural Quality.
Professional Development (PD)	A continuum of learning and support activities to prepare and enhance the work of individuals on behalf of young children and their families.
Professional Growth	A commitment to continuous learning and development in a specific career field, focusing on expanding skills, knowledge, and expertise to improve performance and increase potential for advancement. Professional growth fosters a sense of purpose and can lead to increased job satisfaction and overall career progression.
Professional love	A concept explored by Dr Jools Page to describe the feelings of love, intimacy and care which practitioners experience in their reciprocal relationships with children
Professional Relationship	A connection between individuals in a workplace setting characterized by mutual respect, clear roles and boundaries, and a focus on achieving shared goals. Professional relationships foster collaboration, effective communication, and a supportive work environment.
Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)	Multiple disabilities, including a learning disability and possibly sensory or physical disabilities.
Progress	Moving forward
Properties (shape in mathematics)	Qualities, features or characteristics of a shape
Proprioceptive sensory information	Information about the position, movement, and exertion of our muscles, tendons, and joints. This sense gives us awareness of our body in space.
Proprioceptive system	The body’s sense of self and its position in space, informing balance and coordination.
Prosocial behaviour	Behaviours intended to help others, such as sharing and cooperating, which assist children in forming and maintaining social relationships.
Protective Factors	Characteristics reducing the impact of Risk Factors on children’s development, existing at family, child, and community levels.
Provision map	Documentation of support available for pupils with SEN within a school.
Provisionally Certificated Teacher	A newly graduated teacher in the process of obtaining full certification through an induction and mentoring programme.
PRU	Pupil Referral Unit
PSEMH	Primary Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team
PSHE	Personal, Social and Health Education
PSIB	Primary School Improvement Board is made up of the chairs of the primary school consortia with its main purpose being to support the Local Authority in relation to school improvement issues to ensure all schools are at least ‘good’ under Ofsted criteria.
PSP	Pastoral Support Plan
Psychoneuroimmunology	The scientific field studying the complex interactions between the mind (psycho), the nervous system (neuro), and the immune response (immunology).
Publicly funded early childhood service	ECE services that receive government subsidies and/or operating grants from public funds.
Pupil Premium	Additional funding to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.
Pupil Referral Unit (PRU)	A school for children who are excluded, sick, or otherwise unable to attend mainstream school.
PVI	Private, Voluntary and Independent
QA	Quality Assurance
QFT	Quality First Teaching
QTS	Qualified Teacher Status is required in England and Wales to work as a teacher of children in state schools under local authority control, and in special education schools.
Quality	Characteristics of learning environments promoting children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development, typically exceeding state regulatory requirements.
Quality Early Childhood Education	Defined from various perspectives, including policy, workforce, child development experts, and child-centred family-based views.
Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)	A tool helping approved services self-assess their performance in delivering quality education and care and plan future improvements, required under the National Regulations.
Quality Initiatives	Projects increasing the quality and availability of early care and education programs and services, funded by CCDF.
Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)	A system assessing, improving, and communicating the quality of early care and learning settings, incorporating quality standards, monitoring, and resources for improvement.
Quality Set-Aside Funding	A portion of funding reserved for quality improvement activities, with CCDF-subsidized programs required to allocate a budget percentage for quality priorities.
Race	A social construct based on skin colour and facial features which has no inherent biological basis but affects social categories and relationships
Race to Top Early Learning Challenge Grant (RTT-ELC)	A federal grant competition to improve early learning program quality and close the achievement gap for children with high needs, authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
Racism	Prejudice and discrimination from an individual, community or institution against a particular racial or ethnic group
Reactivity	Reactivity describes acting impulsively or based primarily on strong emotions rather than thoughtful consideration. When faced with uncertainty or challenges, being reactive can mean making rash decisions, lashing out, or becoming overwhelmed and shutting down.
Reasonable adjustment	A change to a process, practice, or environment that balances the interests of all parties affected, without imposing an unjustifiable hardship, as described in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth).
Redetermination Period	The time a family can receive assistance before needing to re-establish eligibility for benefits such as a child care Subsidy.
Reflective practice	Ongoing learning that involves engaging with questions of philosophy, ethics, and practice.
Refugee	A person who has fled their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster and sought safety in another country
Reggio Emilia	An educational philosophy and pedagogy focused on preschool and primary education. It was developed after World War II in the town of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The approach is centred around the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in supportive, enriching environments. Key elements include the use of the “Hundred Languages of Children” to promote expression through art, music, drama, and more. It views young children as capable, competent co-creators of knowledge alongside their teachers. Read more in our in-depth article on Loris Malaguzzi and the Reggio Emilia Approach here.
Regulated Child Care	Child care facilities and homes required to comply with a state’s regulatory system or another regulation system, with variations in compliance and regulations across states.
Regulation	The management of a person’s emotions and behaviour.
Reimbursement Rates	The amount child care providers accepting CCDF Vouchers are reimbursed by the state for caring for low-income children, dependent on factors like QRIS participation.
Relative Child Care	Child care provided by extended family members, in the child’s home or a relative’s home. Related to Informal Child Care, Kith and Kin Care, Family, Friend and Neighbour Child Care (FFN).
Religion	A system of beliefs and practices centred on a supernatural power or being, often involving rituals, ethics, and a sense of the sacred. Religions provide a framework for understanding the meaning of life, morality, and offer a sense of community and belonging.
Repeating pattern	A repeating pattern is where the order of some items (or sounds, actions, ideas, etc.) Is continually duplicated; the “unit of repeat” is the section that is repeated to generate the pattern
Repetitive	Containing or characterized by repetition; involving the occurrence of the same action, element, or event multiple times, often with the goal of learning or reinforcement.
Resilience	Children’s ability to cope and develop positively in the face of setbacks, hardships, or adversity, fostered at individual, family, and community levels.
Respect	Positive regard for another person, their role, and their contributions, demonstrated through actions and words. Respect includes treating others with consideration, fairness and valuing their perspectives, even during disagreements.
Respectful Play	An approach to play that prioritizes children’s agency, decision-making, and self-expression. Adults act as guides and partners, respecting the child’s natural curiosity and playfulness without imposing their own agenda or control. Respectful play allows children to develop self-regulation, problem-solving, and social skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Respite Care	Temporary care providing relief for regular caregivers.
Respite Child Care	Temporary relief services for vulnerable families, improving stability and reducing abuse or neglect risk.
Responsivity	Responsivity is the ability to act in a deliberate, integrated, and balanced way. Instead of being driven by emotion, responsive actions stem from a place of understanding and thoughtfulness. A responsive approach to uncertainty involves accepting the situation, gathering information, and thoughtfully choosing a course of action.
Retention (Staff)	The ability of programs to retain employees over time, a problem affecting program quality in early childhood settings.
RI	Requires Improvement
Risk Factors	Circumstances increasing susceptibility to negative outcomes and experiences, such as low socioeconomic status, having special needs, or lack of access to quality early care and education.
Role Modelling	The process of demonstrating desired behaviours and attitudes that others can observe and emulate. Leaders and managers who effectively role model positive values, communication skills, and work ethic inspire others to adopt those behaviours.
SA	Single Assessment
SACRE	Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education is a statutory body who advises the local authority on matters relating to Religious Education (RE) including Collective Worship and the RE curriculum.
Safe space	An environment, either physical or emotional, where a person feels comfortable, secure, accepted, and free from judgment. In a safe space, individuals can express themselves without fear of criticism or negative consequences, promoting feelings of trust and belonging.
Safeguarding	Identifying and taking steps to keep children and young people who are at risk of harm safe.
SALT	Speech and Language Therapy / Therapist
Sample	The group of people or types of services selected for study in research.
SAO	School Attendance Order
Scaffolding	A teaching method leveraging existing skills and knowledge to introduce new concepts, allowing children to reach correct conclusions independently.
Schema	Patterns of repeated behaviours or actions that children exhibit as they explore and make sense of their world, like transporting, enveloping, positioning, and rotating objects.
School Age Child Care	Care outside regular school hours for children over 5, including OST and After-School Programs.
School Based Child Care	Child care programs located in school facilities.
School Readiness	Skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in early school years, determined by developmental status in domains like language, cognition, and social-emotional development.
School SEN Support	Support category for young people who need extra specialist support but not an EHC plan.
Science	The systematic study of the natural world through observation, experimentation, and the formulation of theories and hypotheses. Science encompasses various disciplines like biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences, seeking to understand the underlying principles and laws governing the universe.
Scientist in Residence	A program where a practicing scientist works within a school or educational setting to engage students in hands-on science activities and explorations.
SCR	Serious Case Review
Seasonal foods	Foods that are primarily associated with a particular time of year due to natural growing cycles and harvesting practices. These foods often hold cultural significance and can play a role in festive traditions.
Selective Mutism	An anxiety disorder characterized by a consistent inability to speak in certain social situations (such as school, work, or public places) despite having the ability to speak normally in other contexts (like at home with family). This inability stems from intense social anxiety and a fear of speaking in specific environments.
Self-Regulation	The ability to control emotions, behaviours, and thoughts for planning, attention focus, instruction remembering, and multitasking.
Self-regulation	Self-regulation is the ability to manage one’s own emotions, thoughts, and behaviours independently, even in challenging situations. It involves being aware of your internal state, having strategies to calm yourself down or shift your mood, and making choices that align with your goals and values.
SEMH	Social, Emotional, Mental Health needs are a type of special educational needs in which children/young people have severe difficulties in managing their emotions and behaviour.
SEN/SEND	Special Educational Needs (and Disabilities) which describes the needs of a child who has a difficulty or disability which makes learning harder, or different, for them than for other children their age.
SENCO	Special Educational Needs Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school’s Special Educational Needs policy.
SEND Code of Practice	Statutory guidance for identifying, assessing, and providing for children and young people with SEN or disabilities.
SENDIASS	Special Education Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service
SENDIST	Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal
Sense of belonging	A child’s feeling of being accepted, valued, and included in a learning environment. For multilingual learners, this sense of belonging is crucial as it fosters confidence, lowers anxiety, and supports their willingness to engage and learn.
Sensory	Related to the five senses and the experiences they bring.
Sensory data	The raw input of information received by our sensory system. This data includes everything from the light and sound waves entering our eyes and ears to the sensations we feel on our skin.
Sensory functions	Related to the physical senses e.g. Touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight, vestibular sense
Sensory Play	Activities that stimulate a child’s senses, including touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing.
Sensory system	The complex network of nerves and specialized receptors that allows us to receive and process information from the environment through our senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell). This system is essential for our interaction with the world around us.
Sensory wiring	The way that the brain organizes and connects different sensory inputs, creating neural pathways. These pathways form the foundation for how we perceive and interpret the world.
Sensory Driven	Sensory driven describes experiences or activities that primarily engage one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Sensory-driven play	Play experiences that stimulate one or more of the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell), leading to exploration and brain development.
Separation Anxiety	Anxiety experienced by a child when separated from a primary caregiver, typically starting around 8-12 months.
Serve and return	Interactions where the child “serves” by initiating contact, and the adult “returns” by responding appropriately with eye contact, gestures or words
Service providers	Individuals, community groups, organisations, and companies that own or govern licensed ECE services.
Service supervisor	A person who is a Nominated Supervisor or Service Supervisor under the Education and Care Services National Law.
Setting	An EYFS setting is any place where children aged 0 to 5 are cared for and learn, such as a childminder, nursery, playgroup, preschool, or a school’s nursery and reception class.
Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)	Significant intellectual impairments affecting participation in the school curriculum without support.
Sexual orientation	The sexual attraction that a person feels towards another person, e.g. Being heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or asexual
SFA	Skills Funding Agency is responsible for funding skills training for further education in England and runs the National Apprenticeship Service and the National Careers Service.
SFR	Statistical First Release
SFVS	Schools Financial Value Standard helps schools to manage their finances and to provide assurance to the local authority that they have secure financial management in place.
Siblings	Brothers and sisters, including half siblings.
Sick/Ill Child Care	Services for children with mild, temporary illnesses preventing regular child care attendance, also known as “mildly ill child care.”
SIMS	Schools Information Management Systems
SISS	Specialist Inclusion Support Assistant
Skills	Abilities
SLCN	Speech, Language and Communication Needs
SLD	Severe Learning Disability
Sles	Specialist Leaders of Education
Sliding Fee Scale	A formula determining child care fees based on family income, with CCDF-subsidized families paying according to an income-based scale.
SMART	Specific, Measurable, agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based (used for targets)
SMT	Senior Management Team
Social Impact Bonds (SIB)	Financial tools enabling government agencies to pay for programs delivering results, with government paying only if specific outcomes are achieved.
Social-Emotional Development	The process of learning to identify feelings, manage strong emotions constructively, regulate behaviour, develop empathy, and establish relationships.
Social-Emotional Development	The intricate process through which children learn to understand and express their emotions, regulate their behaviours, empathize with others, and build healthy relationships. This development occurs through interactions with adults and peers and heavily involves play experiences. Social-emotional development is critical for overall well-being, academic success, and positive relationships throughout life.
Social-emotional learning	The process through which children learn to understand and manage their emotions, develop healthy relationships with others, and make responsible decisions. Social-emotional learning is closely intertwined with language development for multilingual learners. A supportive and inclusive environment helps reduce anxiety and fosters a sense of belonging, which in turn, makes learners more receptive to language acquisition.
Social, mental and emotional health (SEMH)	Difficulties resulting in behaviour that presents a barrier to learning and participation.
Socialisation	The process by which younger members become expert members of their family or group.
Socially constructed	Shaped by the norms, values, and expectations of a particular society. Our understanding of emotions is not purely biological but influenced by the social and cultural context in which we live.
Spatial awareness	Interpretation of how things, including own body, relates to one another and the spatial environment
Special Education	Instruction designed for children with identified learning differences or disabilities, requiring specially designed instruction not addressed through general education alone.
Special Education Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)	Services offering free information, advice, and support to parents and young people with SEN.
Special education teacher	A teacher who specializes in providing learning opportunities for children with disabilities or special learning needs.
Special Educational Needs (SEN)	Needs that require extra or different support for a child or young person to learn.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)	Arbitrates disagreements about SEN provision or disability discrimination.
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)	The person responsible for ensuring students with SEN get the support they need.
Special Needs	Describes a child with an identified learning disability or condition requiring Special Education or specialized services and supports.
Specialist services	Services for children with acute or high-level needs provided by local authorities or health services.
Specific Areas of Learning	The specific areas of learning in the EYFS are Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design.
Specific Learning Disabilities (SpLD)	A range of difficulties, usually including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADD, and ADHD.
Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)	Difficulties with all aspects of communication.
SRE	Sex and Relationship Education
SSA	Special Support Assistant
STA	Standards and Testing Agency is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Education, responsible for setting the tests to assess children in education from early years to the end of key stage 2.
Stages of Play	A developmental framework that outlines how play can evolve in children. This includes the stages of: Survey (scanning the environment, appearing disengaged, may express boredom). Showing Interest (beginning to explore materials or activities, initial engagement). Fully Engaged (deeply involved in play, demonstrating focus and enjoyment). Accomplishment/Creation (Completing a task, building something, or expressing creativity through play).
State Advisory Councils on Early Childhood Education and Care (sacs)	Federally funded state-level councils developing high-quality, comprehensive early care and education systems, ensuring state-wide coordination and collaboration.
Statutory assessment	Detailed assessment by the Local Authority for a child or young person with complex SEN.
STEAM	An acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. STEAM subjects focus on the integration of these disciplines for a broader, more creative approach to problem-solving and innovation.
STEM learning	An acronym for the related areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM learning emphasizes hands-on, inquiry-based approaches that allow multilingual learners to explore concepts through experimentation and problem-solving, potentially reducing the reliance on language-heavy instruction.
Stereotypes	Generalisations which label people and make assumptions about them
Strategic	Long term/overall approach towards aims based on evidence
Strength-based	An approach focusing on and responsive to children’s and families’ unique strengths, diverse learning styles, and cultural backgrounds.
Stress response	The body’s complex physiological and psychological reaction to a perceived threat or challenge. This response can manifest with physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, and muscle tension, as well as mental and emotional shifts.
Structural Quality	Features of an early childhood setting that can be regulated, affecting children’s development, including adult-child ratios and staff qualifications.
Subitising – conceptual	Instantly recognising the total based on the parts
Subitising – perceptual	Immediate recognition of how many without needing to count, involving very small numbers and assisted by familiar arrangements such as dice patterns
Subsidized Child Care	Child care partially funded by public or charitable resources to decrease cost to families.
Subsidy	Assistance reducing the cost of child care for families.
Subsidy Take-Up Rates	The rate at which eligible families use child care subsidies.
Supervision	Formal, scheduled meetings between an employee and their manager to discuss progress, goals, challenges, and support needs. Effective supervision provides opportunities for constructive feedback, coaching, problem-solving, and career development.
Supply Building	Efforts to increase the quantity of child care programs in a specific area.
Support agency	Organizations and people with a wide range of qualifications and experience working with children with disability, including inclusion support facilitators, therapists, psychologists, social workers, and family systems therapists.
Supported Internships	Study programs based at an employer for young people with SEN to achieve sustainable employment.
Supports	Broader aspects of the system such as professional learning, incentives for inclusion, and opportunities for communication and collaboration among families and professionals to ensure high-quality inclusion.
Sustainability	The practice of creating, using, and disposing of products or resources in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable practices involve resource conservation, waste reduction, and minimizing environmental impact.
Sustainability	The concept of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability encompasses environmental, social, and economic dimensions, promoting responsible use of resources, reduction of pollution and waste, and equitable distribution of benefits.
Sustained shared thinking	When two or more people “work together” in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity, extend a narrative, etc.; both must contribute to the thinking, and it must develop and extend understanding
Symmetry	Shapes and patterns which flip over a line or axis, in a mirror fashion
Sympathetic nervous system	The part of the nervous system responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response, increasing alertness and energy in response to stress.
Systemic racism	Form of racism that pervades institutions and organisations
Tactile	Of or connected with the sense of touch; providing a physical sensation, often one involving texture, temperature, or pressure.
TAF	Team Around the Family
TBC	To be Confirmed
Teacher	A person involved in teaching, with specific requirements for recognition as a ‘teacher’ in ECE settings.
Teacher-led service	A service where education is provided by certificated teachers holding recognised qualifications, distinct from parent-led services.
Teaching Assistant (TA)	Teaching assistants support teachers and help children with reading, writing and learning activities.
Teaching position	A position requiring the holder to instruct students or lead an ECE service.
Technical Assistance (TA)	Targeted support by professionals with expertise, provided to improve the quality of services in early education settings.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)	A grant program providing funds to states, territories, and tribes to help needy families achieve economic security, including through child care services.
The Four As	The Four As are a framework for adults to use when helping children navigate uncertainty or challenges in a way that promotes social, emotional, and relational development. It includes: 1) Acknowledge (validate the child’s experience), 2) Attune (resonate with the child’s emotions and perspective), 3) Adopt (maintain a stance of self-regulation and co-regulation), and 4) Ask (involve the child in finding solutions, either in the moment or later).
The Four Ds	The Four Ds refer to a pattern of adult responses commonly used when children experience challenges or face uncertainty. These responses serve to minimize the adult’s discomfort rather than effectively supporting the child. They include: 1) Dismiss (minimizing the child’s feelings), 2) Deny (ignoring the challenge), 3) Distract (diverting the child’s attention), and 4) Direct (rushing to fix the problem without collaboration)
Theory of Constructed Emotion	A psychological theory positing that emotions are not rigid, universal blueprints, but actively constructed by the brain. This theory suggests emotions arise from the brain’s attempts to predict, categorize, and make meaning out of various sensory inputs and prior experiences.
Therapeutic Child Care	Services for At Risk children, part of structured treatment programs providing care in safe, nurturing environments.
Tiered Reimbursement System	A subsidy payment system offering higher payments for higher quality child care programs or for care in short supply.
Toddler	Generally, describes a one to three-year-old child, often applied to infants who begin walking independently.
Tools	Practical strategies within the Positive Discipline framework used to address child behaviour and teach important skills.
Top-Up Funding	Additional funding for pupils with high needs, beyond the standard educational provision cost.
Toxic Stress	Negative experiences affecting brain architecture and chemistry, such as chronic exposure to adversity without adequate adult support.
TP	Teenage Pregnancy
Transdisciplinary practice	Close and ongoing collaboration between professionals from different disciplines in support of a child, guided by the needs, interests, and participation of the child.
Transition plan	A plan for moving from one phase of education to another or into adult life.
Transitional Child Care	Subsidies for families no longer income eligible for public assistance, transitioning to financial independence.
Transparency	A practice of clear, honest, and candid communication where information is shared openly without any hidden agendas or attempts to mislead. Transparency builds trust and helps to create an environment where everyone feels they have a clear understanding of expectations, goals, and any challenges that may arise.
Trauma Informed Care (TIC)	An approach for children exposed to traumatic events, supporting emotion regulation and predictable routines.
Treasure hunt	A game or adventure where participants follow a series of clues, solve puzzles, or complete tasks in order to locate a hidden object or reach a secret destination. Treasure hunts can be designed for entertainment, education, or team-building purposes.
Tribal Child Care	Publicly supported child care programs offered by Native American Tribes, subject to regulatory requirements and oversight.
Trust	A firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of another person, built through consistent actions, honest communication, and follow-through on commitments. Trust is essential for strong working relationships and a sense of psychological safety for team members.
Twenty First Century Community Learning Centres (21st CCLC) Program	A grant program supporting academic enrichment and extracurricular activities for low-income students during afterschool hours.
Two-Generation Programs	Comprehensive services for both parents and children to promote child development and economic self-sufficiency.
Typically Developing Child	A child whose development follows a predictable course, measured by Developmental Milestones.
Uncertainty	Uncertainty is a state of not knowing or being unsure about something. This can cause feelings of anxiety or distress because our brains prefer to be able to anticipate and prepare for situations. Uncertainty can refer to external circumstances (like not knowing the weather) or internal states (like not knowing how we feel about something).
Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK)	A movement to make Prekindergarten accessible to all children and families, regardless of abilities and income.
Unjustifiable hardship	The detrimental effect of a proposed adjustment, based on an assessment of all likely positive and negative effects on individuals and the community as a whole, as described in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth).
Unlicensed Child Care	Child care programs not licensed by the state, including legally/license-exempt care and programs illegally operating without a license.
Vestibular sensory information	Information about our balance, movement, and spatial orientation provided by specialized structures within our inner ear. This system helps us maintain our sense of equilibrium and coordinate our movements.
Vestibular System	The body’s sensory system responsible for detecting movement and maintaining balance.
VI	Visual Impairment
Vouchers and Contracts	Payment forms for income-eligible families to help pay for child care, including vouchers for any legal care and contracts for subsidized care in specific centres or networks.
VST	Vision Support Team
Waiver	Permission allowing an individual or entity to forgo or delay implementing a requirement, usually temporarily.
Well-being	A state of overall wellness, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, and social health. In the workplace, supporting well-being includes providing resources to promote stress management, work-life balance, and a sense of belonging.
Wellbeing	A state of positive health, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of life. Wellbeing is not merely the absence of negative states but entails feeling generally positive, content, and fulfilled.
WIT	Whatever It Takes
Work Requirements	Employment-related conditions for receiving child care subsidies or cash assistance, typically requiring employment or enrolment in training/education programs.
Workforce	Individuals engaged in the care and education of young children, including teaching, caregiving, administrative staff, and consultants.
Workforce Registry	A system where early childhood professionals track career-related information, such as education and employment history, and professional development.
Working theories	The ways children think about, inquire into and make meaning about their worlds as they attempt to make connections between prior and new experiences and understandings
Wrap Around Child Care Programs	Programs where providers collaborate to improve children and families’ lives by creating a comprehensive system of supports, including formal services and interpersonal assistance.
YOS	Youth Offending Service
YPC	Young People’s Council
Zone of Proximal Development	The difference between what a child can do independently and what they can do with guidance or help from a more skilled person. Read more about the Zone of Proximal Development and the theories of it’s creator, Lev Vygotsky here.

To cite this article use:

Early Years TV The Early Years Glossary. Available at: https://www.earlyyears.tv/early-years-glossary/ (Accessed: 09 October 2024).