This document puts the principles and practice advocated in ‘Birth To Three Matters’ into an effective and manageable way of working. Individual settings can adopt or amend this way of working to suit their own practice and requirements whilst also supporting the individual needs of very young children and their families.

The document also identifies the ways in which this model feeds into the six areas of the Corfield Educational Consultants Foundation Stage Planning, Assessment and Profiling Document.

The document, presented in an A4 ring binder, consists of 173 pages. The guide has been adopted by Northumberland EYDCP, South Tyneside EYDCP, Shropshire EYDCP, Derby City Early Years and Childcare Service, Rutland EYDCP and Luton EYDCP for use by SureStart staff and for use in Nurseries and Family Centres supported by the EYDCP. In addition the guide is  used by Nurseries (maintained and non-maintained) from Plymouth to Carlisle. 

The document includes a CD containing all of the resources and planning formats in the guide. The documents on the CD were created using Microsoft Word 2000 (9.0.3821 SR1). The aim is that individual settings 'pick' and 'mix' the elements that they wish to use to support the needs of very young children and their families. All the information contained on the CD can be amended and printed to provide a hard copy that suits the needs of the setting. It is also possible for settings to store documents on the computer.