Welcome back to all our readers after the winter break. We are entering a new year and a new decade, which feels momentous while at the same time everyday life goes on much the same. January holds potential for what might be achieved in the year ahead and offers a chance to press the reset button on all those things we'd like a fresh start with. Whatever you've set your sights on getting done this year, whether it is work related or a personal goal, we send you luck to help you get there. 

The political world of the UK has ended up in pretty much the same place as it was when the December newsletter winged its way to you. The Conservative Party won the pre-Christmas election, it looks as though Gavin Williamson remains as Education Secretary for the time being, and Nick Gibb retains responsibility for early education and childcare. You can read a summary of what this might mean for the sector in an article in Nursery World. 

Don't forget to have your say on the proposed changes to the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is so important that voices from the front line of the sector are heard in the shaping of this crucial document. The opportunity to respond closes on 31st January 2020.  

There's no denying these are challenging and changing times for early years educators and also for many of the children and families we work with. This is a time for resourcefulness and resilience, and for supporting each other. In early January, June O'Sullivan, MBE, of LEYF Nurseries, tweeted about making 2020 the decade of kindness. 

Wishing you a Happy New Year from all of us here at the FSF. 

We'd like to welcome back members from the following authority who have renewed their LA subscription. Members from this authority need do nothing; their individual accounts will automatically be re-subscribed:

Bedford - 6th Year

Speaking of responding to the proposed changes to the EYFS, the education team here at the FSF have added our views. We discuss our thoughts and responses in our latest podcast, coming out on Thursday 16th January. You can find our podcasts on Apple Podcasts or Spotify as well as other platforms. 

On the FSF this month you can read articles by Ben and Jack summarising the Key Note speeches from the second Tapestry Education Conference (TEC 2) given by Nancy Stewart and Beatrice Merrick. They contain links to video recordings of the talks. If you are going to respond to the changes to the EYFS, these articles and talks will certainly give you food for thought. 

Coming soon, we also have articles on Practitioner Well-being in theory and practice by Emma Cook from One World Nursery, Brighton. She shares research behind well-being in the workplace and her experiences of how the team developed them in the setting. 

The Tapestry team have a couple of new features available for you. 'Labels' allows you to create name labels for the children at your setting. You can read all about it and follow a quick tutorial on the Tapestry website. There is also the addition of the IEYC, an international framework developed in partnership with Fieldwork Education. 

Kat is a member of the Tapestry Product Support Team, and she is also a very talented artist. Which is lucky for us, because she has been creating some beautiful pictures to use here on the FSF.  You will see them appearing over the next few weeks. Here is a little image by Kat to get us started. Enjoy!