Early Words Matter

A child’s earliest years are crucial to their development and life chances.

However, last year over 185,000 5-year-olds started school without the literacy, communication and language skills they needed to thrive. Without this firm foundation not only will their learning, confidence and wellbeing suffer in their early school days, but they are much more likely to struggle with their GCSEs and be unemployed by their 30s.

Children experiencing poverty are most likely to be affected.

We don't want where you are born and how wealthy your family is to determine your story.

Our Early Words Matter campaign calls on the business community and government to take practical action to empower families with more opportunities and early advice to support their child’s literacy skills in those crucial first years.

But we've all got a part to play to change these young children's life stories: