This pilot was recruiting, but is now full.

There is a choice of two routes for achieving a Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting (CFHBS); Childminders may either complete the Let’s Talk with Under 5s (LTU5s) course or the Speech and Language Support for 3 – 5 year olds (SLS 3 – 5s) as part of the programme. These courses lead to accreditation at levels 1 and 3 respectively, through an Ofqual approved and regulated national awarding organisation. There are 40 places available across the two programme routes and each route is available with a start date of either September 2023 or January 2024.

Whichever route is taken, the programme involves live webinars, delivered virtually to groups of 10 Childminders, by an Elklan Tutor, and the completion of a learning log to support their reflective practice. Childminders following the SLS route will also access online learning sessions.

As part of the Department for Education’s Early Years Recovery Programme, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is working with Stronger Practice Hubs across England to fund Early Years settings’ access to evidence-informed programmes and study the programme’s influence on practice and children’s outcomes. This initiative aims to support education recovery following the pandemic, whilst also developing our understanding of effective professional development in the early years.

The EEF is working with East Midlands Early Years Stronger Practice Hub to fund Childminder access to CFHBS and evaluate the programme through a pilot.

The EEF is interested in funding a pilot evaluation of the intervention, because research on continuing professional development for Childminders is sparse and a study with this group could start to help close key research gaps. Additionally, interventions for pre-reception children and whole class/​group programmes were identified as a current funding priority for the EEF.

The EEF has commissioned the University of York and the University of Sheffield to conduct this pilot study. This pilot we will assess the feasibility of the two variants of the CFHBS programmes.

Key evaluation activities will include two surveys about Childminders’ experiences of training and its impact in their home-based settings. The evaluator will also carry out interviews with some Childminders to gain more in-depth feedback.