Children under three are learners and communicators from birth and develop rapidly through this period, moving from total dependence to relative independence.
More and more children are spending this vital time in their lives within childcare, due to the growing numbers of parents in work, the extension of education grants to three- and four-year-olds and other Government initiatives such as Sure Start and the Neighbourhood Nurseries scheme.
The needs and characteristics of under-threes are complex and change dramatically, with the first two years being ones of rapid growth. During this time children become mobile, sociable and highly communicative. At the same time as developing physically and cognitively, they are also developing emotionally.
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