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Earlyarts - A Joined Up Future

Building on the recently published Earlyarts Research Programme, Earlyarts partners have been discussing the potential for a national network to connect up thinking and practice in a more meaningful way. A number of agencies are now starting discussions with Earlyarts to influence the shape and structure of the national network, with a view to operating Professional Development Days in more regions across the UK from April 2009.

 


 

What's the Big Idea and How do I get involved?

Earlyarts will connect up what is already happening in a more coherent way, bringing together researchers and policy makers with practitioners who offer the personal relationships that do make a difference to our children's lives. We hope that these shared dialogues will strengthen the evidence base, offer partners greater visibility and drive up the quality of thinking and practice.

A summary of activities from the Focus Group day can be found here and images here. Whether you are a national body, an academic institution, an arts or cultural organisation, or an early years professional, we invite you to join the national network - there is a role for everyone to play.

Click here to understand more about how Earlyarts supports national policy initiatives such as Every Child Matters and the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Getting involved

There are three levels of involvement as a regular Earlyarts member, a Regional Pathfinder Partner running the Professional Development Days, or a national partner supporting the skills and policy development within the sector. Each level can be seen as follows:

Earlyarts Member

Regional Pathfinder Partner

National Partner

In return for this:

 <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->
  • <!--[if !supportLists]-->Run quarterly Professional Development Days based on Earlyarts PDD model
  • <!--[if !supportLists]-->Invite own clients / members / partners constituents to subscribe to Earlyarts<!--[endif]-->
  • Liaison with Earlyarts on synchronising CPD with own programme

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Promote Earlyarts as key CPD route for funded clients
  • <!--[if !supportLists]-->Champion Earlyarts and connect us into wider partnerships
  • <!--[if !supportLists]-->Promote Earlyarts services through national events and newsletters

We give you this:
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->6 Regional E-bulletins
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->4 Professional Development Days in region
  • <!--[if !supportLists]-->National research & evidence base
  • Managed Artists Database
  • Brief Builder Project Planner
  • International Exchange
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Reduced price advertising
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->National seminars & conferences
  • Bookshop / current reviews
  • National PR & advocacy for key issues on your behalf
  • Connect into national network to inspire / be inspired
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Increased critical awareness of pedagogy, current research & policy
  • FREE subscription with all benefits of regular membership (on left)
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Lead role influencing shape of workforce & connecting key players across sectors
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Increased quality in regional practice
  • Access to national distribution network for exposure of own projects & research
  • Local ownership of CPD hubs & association with quality network
  • Optional support service by Earlyarts for your artists database
  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Increased resources for own projects
  • CPD, subscriptions and artists database process managed by Earlyarts - no admin
  • Adds value to your funded projects
  • <!--[if !supportLists]-->Access to huge distribution network for dissemination of national initiatives and consultations.
  • Substantial body for measuring workforce and policy issues
  • Adds value to your funded projects by increasing skills, connectivity and sustainability, and reduces further competition for public funding
  • Access to Earlyarts research for shaping policy & workforce development
  • Regional offices still able to subscribe and receive benefits of membership
  • RSS feed to promote own creative / cultural family initiatives on Earlyarts newsletter

 

Regional Organisations

The proposed business model is very simple - existing arts education or early learning agencies, organisations and networks invite their members to become Earlyarts members at the subsidy level that meets their needs. Once subscribed, their members receive Earlyarts Ebulletins on current thinking, practice, training opportunities and so on, specifically designed to support their professional development, plus free access to a significant range of resources online (including back-links to local organisations' own sites).

Sub-regional partners can provide their members and stakeholders with four Professional Development Days per year to support practice and thinking on the ground. These will be backed up with Earlyarts online resources, practical learning toolkits, conferences, case studies, links and connections. In addition, their members will receive prior notice of opportunities such as the International Exchange Programmes or International Creative Learning conferences. Organisations who are invited to lead the PDDs, will need to have an established commitment to creative early years partnerships, be able to maintain a cross-sectoral, cross-art form approach, and who are committed to promoting the key principles of Earlyarts (see them in full here).

As more members are recruited by sub-regional partners to join Earlyarts and subscriptions go up, any surplus over and above running the core Earlyarts services will be reinvested back into our sub-regional partners to increase the professional development opportunities available. The beauty of this model is that sub-regional agencies won't need to rename anything, take on someone else's brand, or lose anything of themselves. There is no financial commitment required as the cost of running the network will be spread between the members nationwide. In addition sub-regional partners will benefit from a free annual subscription enabling them to use Earlyarts' services for their own development. Each sub-regional partner will enjoy enhanced exposure for their own case studies, research and publications, having access to the entire Earlyarts national distribution network.

The entire structure is based on a resource and skills-sharing principle, with low infrastructure costs, broad based ownership and high returns on investment, providing a win-win situation for all those involved.


National Bodies:

Earlyarts is encouraging national funding and development bodies to recommend Earlyarts as a key CPD network for their funded clients. The aim being that Earlyarts can help to secure a higher level of return on their investment, at the same time as increasing subscriptions for Earlyarts. National policy makers, funders and development agencies will have a ready made network of experts available to use as a test bed for emerging policy and practice initiatives. Plus a touchstone for workforce development initiatives, where trustworthy data on training and development can be gathered in order to refine the entry and progression routes through the sectors. National bodies will be able to actively use the network for dissemination and national consultations, in return for championing Earlyarts and providing strategic connections into wider partnerships for sustainability.