Our research study - the settings

Four different early years settings, in the East of England, agreed to participate in this project. Two were approached because they were known to researchers for their sustainable practices, including use of reclaimed materials, and could therefore be described as a purposive sample; whilst the other two were selected principally on the basis of accessibility and convenience. We make no claim that these settings are representative of the wider population of early years settings in the localities or in England as a whole.

In brief, the settings, all of which cater for children from birth to four years, can be described as:

1. a workplace day nursery, in a university city; 
2. a small community nursery, attached to an academy school and neighbourhood centre, in a town;
3. a private day nursery sited in an affluent suburb of an outer London town;
4. and a private day nursery in a rural location, in Essex.

We are very grateful to the managers, staff and children in these setting for showing an interest in our project, giving us a warm welcome, and sharing their work.