The introduction of the Foundation Stage for children age three to becoming six has had a profound impact on policy and practice in early education in the UK. The choice of the word 'foundation' to describe this first stage of learning has emphasized the importance of children's earliest experiences in underpinning all their subsequent attitudes and achievements.

In this innovative and challenging book, Julie Fisher has brought together some of the country's leading early years specialists to explore how educators can establish firm foundations for young children's learning. The themes in the book are stimulated by the metaphor of 'foundations,' with an introduction by an architect who explains the principles of establishing firm foundations for buildings.

Each of these established engineering principles is then creatively explored from an educational perspective as the authors seek to question how the foundations laid for buildings can offer fresh insights into the principles for creating firm foundations for learning.