'Really good resource for students and lecturers. Very accessible, easy to read, well laid out, inviting to read... gives students an excellent grounding in different aspects of early years...' -- Mrs Melville, South Leicestershire College

Tina Bruce CBE and Carolyn Meggitt are bestselling Child Care and Early Years authors who have helped hundreds of thousands of students to gain their first qualification in the sector. Tina is also Honorary Professor at Roehampton University and a leading international expert on early childhood. Julian Grenier, is Early Years Adviser to Tower Hamlets council in London. He has written extensively for various publications including Nursery World and has been involved in government advisory panels. He currently blogs at www.juliangrenier.blogspot.com

1 Equality, diversity and rights 2 Observation and assessment 3 Holistic child development 4 Cognitive development: children thinking and having ideas 5 Communication, including language development 6 Physical development and movement 7 Emotional and social development: feelings and relationships 8 Understanding behaviour and developing self-discipline 9 Caring for babies in the first year of life 10 Caring for children 11 Child health promotion, surveillance and safety 12 The effects of ill health on children and families 13 Diet, nutrition and food 14 Play, imagination and creativity 15 Curriculum and developing early learning 16 Child care and education provision 17 Safeguarding children 18 Children with special needs and disabilities, and their families 19 Working with parents and carers 20 Professional development