2024 Froebel Trust grants awarded

The Froebel Trust funds research and practice development that is focused on early childhood education and care. The projects we fund develop knowledge and understanding of a Froebelian approach to education in early years settings today.

This year we received a record-breaking number of eligible applications and the following projects were finally selected by our grants panel to receive Froebel Trust funding in 2024:

• An innovative research project listening to and collating the views of children about their sense of identity and belonging in an intergenerational setting, led by Dr. Kay Heslop and Dr. Charmaine Agius Ferrante at Northumbria University. Find out more.

• Rebecca Goulding and Alexandra Powell (Cardiff Flying Start) have been awarded a Froebel Trust grant to undertake an action research project looking at how play can support children's learning indoors and outside. "We hope that findings from this project will provide a resource to support educators to see the value of outdoor play and develop their pedagogy." Find out more.

• Annamaria Bevan at Ely and Caerau Integrated Children's Centre was awarded an action research grant to investigate how educators can "capture and use" babies' voices in planning, provision and care at an early years setting. The project is based on the findings of Dr Caroline Guard's recent research 'Thinking about babies' and will report in 2026. Find out more.

• Dr Karen Vincent, Canterbury Christ Church University was awarded a Froebel Trust research grant to develop professional knowledge about how educators can offer 'freedom with guidance' to young children in outdoor environments. The study aims to support knowledgeable, nurturing early childhood educators to use wearable technology to ‘slow down’ (Clark, 2022) and carefully observe and professionally reflect on the ways in which they can support children's play outdoors. Find out more.
  

• Dr Jo Albin-Clark, Edge Hill University and Dr Nathan Archer, Independent Researcher were awarded a Froebel Trust research grant for their project 'Resistance stories: Telling and sharing stories about children's right to play' Their research will look at how educators can enable children's right to play and will report in Autumn 2026. Find out more.

• Maisondieu Primary School in Scotland has been awarded a practice support grant to develop mixed-age play opportunities for children in their school. Find out more
  

More projects awarded funding by the Froebel Trust in 2024:

• Partnering with parents to include children with special educational needs in woodwork, Tuffkid Nursery, London
• Weaving together, Hailesland Early Years Centre and Poppies Pre-school, Scotland
• Family engagement, Ely and Caerau Children’s Centre, Wales
  
• Dialogising Froebelian philosophy in action: Translating Early Years pedagogies across time and space, Prof. Elizabeth Jayne White (University of Canterbury), Dr Caroline Guard and Dr Lynn McNair (University of Edinburgh)

We look forward to sharing news as these projects progress and report on their work. Make sure you're signed up for our newsletter to get all the latest updates.

Find out more about the range of grants and funding we offer individuals, organisations and networks.