There are still a few Books Together sessions taking place this October 📚 Books Together gives families with young children the chance to enjoy stories and activities together, while picking up simple ideas for making reading part of everyday life at home. Remaining October sessions: • Hillingdon: Yeading Library — 20 October • Camden: Regent’s Park Children’s Centre — 22 October • Greenwich: Mulberry Park Children’s Centre — 23 October If you’re already taking part, please check your session time with the venue. If you’re interested in joining, contact the venue first to ask about eligibility and availability. Find out more about Books Together: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.… #BooksTogether #EarlyYears #ReadingTogether #FamilyLearning #EarlyLiteracy #ParentsAndCarers

Make the NAFIS Conference & Awards part of your autumn professional development. Taking place online on 10 and 11 November, the conference brings Family Information Services and local authority colleagues together for two days of learning, discussion and shared practice. Explore the programme, hear from speakers across the sector, join practical sessions and connect with colleagues facing similar challenges in their local areas. The event is free for NAFIS members and colleagues from their local authorities. View the agenda and book your place: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Join the NAFIS network in time for this year’s Conference & Awards. The NAFIS Conference & Awards 2026 takes place online on 10 and 11 November, bringing Family Information Services together to connect, share practice and hear from sector experts and key partners. Local authorities that are not yet NAFIS members can join from October 2026 to 31 March 2027 for £297 + VAT. The six-month membership includes unlimited delegate places at the conference, alongside webinars, sector updates, peer learning and opportunities to contribute to policy discussions throughout the membership period. Join the network, book your team into the conference and make the most of six months of NAFIS support. Explore the membership benefits: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.… #NAFIS #NAFISConference2026 #FamilyInformationServices #EarlyYears #LocalGovernment #Childcare

What do parents value most about childcare? In our Childcare Survey 2026 focus groups, parents spoke about the difference childcare can make to children’s everyday lives. Making friends and building confidence were the benefits mentioned most often. Parents also valued the independence, language skills and self-care their children developed — helping them feel more prepared for school. And the benefits extended beyond children. Parents described the connections and sense of community they built with other families and with staff at their childcare setting. For the first time this year, the Childcare Survey included parents’ own views and experiences alongside our long-running research into childcare costs and availability. Read what parents told us: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.… #ChildcareSurvey2026 #Childcare #EarlyYears #EarlyEducation #ChildDevelopment #Families

Today we’re joining fellow grantees at the Mercers’ Early Years Special Initiative Learning Symposium, sharing learning from Books Together and our work alongside parents and carers. Supported by the Mercers’ Company as trustee of the Charity of Sir Richard Whittington, Books Together helps families with young children build reading and storytelling into everyday life through fun, interactive sessions delivered in local communities. The programme combines Coram Family and Childcare’s parent-led approach with @beanstalkreads’s expertise in reading support. Parents and carers have helped shape how the programme is designed and delivered, helping us reach families who may face barriers to accessing information, support and services. 🎥 Watch our Books Together video to see the programme in action and hear from families who have taken part: youtu.be/9MSPV43D2fE #BooksTogether #EarlyYears #EarlyLiteracy #ReadingTogether #FamilyLearning #MercersCompany

Volunteering can be a starting point for something bigger. Becoming a Parent Champion gives volunteers the chance to support other families while building confidence, developing transferable skills and gaining experience that can open doors to training and employment. For some Parent Champions, that experience has become an important step towards a new career. Read how volunteering helped one Parent Champion move into employment, and find out more about getting involved: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Family Corner’s free online session Time for a snack takes place tomorrow, 12 October, at 10am UK time. Families can join in with making chips, sticks and dips together. @EYAlliance Check the event details and register: familycorner.co.uk/family-le…

Books Together gives families ideas to make reading playful and part of everyday life. In feedback from parents and carers who took part, 100% of respondents planned to use some of the ideas with their children. Watch our Books Together video: youtu.be/9MSPV43D2fE #BooksTogether #EarlyYears #ReadingTogether #EarlyLiteracy #FamilyLearning

Meet the Lewisham team, winners of the Parent Champions Scheme of the Year Award 2026. Through conversations in family hubs, schools, libraries and foodbanks, the team helps parents understand local services and how to access support. Read the team’s story: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

How could Parent Champions strengthen your local outreach? Word of mouth is one of the most important ways parents find out about childcare and family support. Parent Champions build on that trust — with trained parent volunteers sharing information and their own experiences in an informal, relatable way. Schemes can be delivered directly through a Family Information Service or Early Years team, or with a local delivery partner such as a children’s centre or community organisation. For local services, Parent Champions can help extend the reach of outreach work, connect with families who may otherwise miss vital information, increase awareness and uptake of services, and bring families’ experiences into the development of local provision. Coram Family and Childcare can support you from the initial conversation and choosing the focus of your scheme, through coordinator and volunteer training, to launch and ongoing support through the Parent Champions National Network. Could Parent Champions work in your community? Find out how to set up a scheme: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Looking for new ways to bring stories to life? Family Corner’s free online session Discover your storytelling spark takes place tomorrow, 8 October, at 10am UK time, as part of the @EYAlliance Family Festival. Sign up for practical storytelling ideas. Registered families will receive the session recording and festival resource pack. Book through Family Corner: familycorner.co.uk/family-le…

What makes Parent Champions so effective? Trusted relationships within their own communities. At September’s Parent Champions National Network webinar on cost-of-living challenges, coordinators reflected on the importance of being visible, consistent and trusted when families are looking for information and support. Parent Champions are parent volunteers who speak with other parents about the services available to families. Because the programme is delivered by parents, for parents, volunteers can build on their own experience and local knowledge to reach families in an informal and relatable way — helping connect people who might otherwise miss out on vital information with the support available in their community. Today, Parent Champions reach more than 100,000 families each year across the UK. 🎥 Watch: How Parent Champions are transforming their communities youtube.com/watch?v=hdV2hl0h… Find out more about Parent Champions and how the programme works: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.… #ParentChampions #ParentSupport #FamilySupport #EarlyYears #CommunityEngagement

25 years of the Childcare Survey: what has changed for families? Our Childcare Survey 2026 marks 25 years since Coram Family and Childcare began tracking childcare costs and availability across Great Britain. Over that period, childcare costs for children under two in England rose faster than inflation, with the cost of a part-time nursery place almost tripling between 2001 and 2024. More recently, expanded funded entitlements have brought costs down significantly for eligible working families in England — but the picture remains uneven. Families who do not qualify for the expanded entitlement continue to face higher costs, while access remains particularly challenging for children with SEND and families needing childcare outside standard hours. Drawing on a quarter-century of evidence, the 2026 survey looks at what has changed, where progress has been made, and where families are still being left behind. Explore the findings and download the full report: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.… #ChildcareSurvey2026 #Childcare #EarlyYears #ChildcareCosts #SEND #EarlyEducation

Books Together continues this October!📚 Designed for families with young children aged two to five, Books Together uses fun, interactive sessions to help parents and children discover the joy of reading together. Across three sessions, families can enjoy activities together while parents pick up practical tips, resources and ideas for making books and stories part of everyday life at home. October sessions are taking place at: • Redbridge: Albert Road Children’s Centre — 8 & 15 October • Hillingdon: Yeading Library — 6, 13 & 20 October • Camden: Regent’s Park Children’s Centre — 8, 15 & 22 October • Greenwich: Mulberry Park Children’s Centre — 9, 16 & 23 October Please check times, eligibility and booking arrangements directly with the venue before attending. Find out about Books Together: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.… You can watch Books Together video here: youtu.be/9MSPV43D2fE

Finding childcare that works for your family can involve a lot of questions. Where should you start looking? What should you consider when choosing a childcare provider? And what help might be available with the cost? Coram Family and Childcare has brought together practical resources to help parents explore their options, including information on finding childcare locally, our five steps to choosing childcare, guidance on childcare costs, and stories and advice from families of children with SEND. The resources can help you think through what matters to you and your child, what to look for when visiting a setting, and where to find further information and support. Explore our resources for parents: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Parent Champions are parent volunteers who share trusted information about childcare, early years and local family services in their communities. These conversations can help families discover support, use local services and have a say in how those services develop. Find your local scheme and learn more: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Looking to strengthen your Family Information Service? Local authorities can join NAFIS for £297 + VAT, with membership running from October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Membership gives FIS teams access to webinars, sector updates and resources, peer learning with other Family Information Services, and opportunities to contribute to policy discussions. Members and colleagues from their local authority can also attend the online NAFIS Conference & Awards on 10 and 11 November, with unlimited delegate places included in membership. Explore the full membership benefits and join: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Could Parent Champions help you reach more families in your community? Parent Champions are parent volunteers who share information about childcare, early years and family services in a trusted, informal and relatable way — helping reach families who may otherwise miss out on vital support. Coram Family and Childcare works with organisations every step of the way to set up a scheme: from choosing the right focus and appointing a coordinator, to providing training, tools and resources for recruiting and supporting volunteers. Once launched, schemes also receive ongoing support and access to the Parent Champions National Network. Whether you work in a local authority, Family Information Service, children’s centre or community organisation, find out how a Parent Champions scheme could work in your area: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Books Together sessions are planned at Regent’s Park Children’s Centre in Camden on 8, 15 and 22 October, and Mulberry Children’s Centre in Greenwich on 9, 16 and 23 October. Families with young children can explore playful ways to enjoy books together. Contact the local venue to check eligibility, availability and booking. Explore Books Together: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…

Finding out what funded childcare is available — and how to access it — is not always straightforward. Parent Champions for Early Education and Childcare are parent volunteers who help eligible families understand the childcare available to them, access local provision and find further support. Having used funded childcare themselves, Parent Champions can share their experience in a trusted, informal and relatable way, reaching families who may be less likely to engage with services. They meet parents in familiar community settings, from schools and children’s centres to libraries and GP surgeries. The programme can help increase access to funded early education, improve parents’ understanding of their options and strengthen connections between families and local services. Could a Parent Champions scheme support families in your community? Find out more: coramfamilyandchildcare.org.…