Early Childhood Development
Project
How good business can help young children thrive
About the project
The early years – from conception to age five – are the most critical stage in a child's development: 85% of brain growth occurs by age three. Given that UK businesses employ around 2.5 million parents with children under five, and that caregiving early in life positively impacts life outcomes, businesses have a vital role to play in supporting young children.
This is more than just a social issue: the early years are not only important for families but are also critical for the long-term health, resilience and productivity of UK society. For example, businesses offering flexible work and family-friendly benefits report increased employee satisfaction, productivity and employee engagement.
This project focuses on practical, scalable solutions that deliver measurable impact. We help businesses make a meaningful difference in the lives of young children while unlocking long-term value, profitability, and strategic growth.
Our work centres on three key levers for change
Businesses better supporting working parents
Businesses supporting new parents returning to work can help drive better outcomes for families while boosting business performance and help businesses retain talented employees.
Businesses providing useful, high-quality products and services
Supermarkets and financial services in the UK play an important role in people’s lives: 80% of grocery spend is with supermarkets, 99% of adults have a bank account, and over £3 trillion is invested in UK pensions. We are exploring how these industries can positively impact early childhood development.
A supportive policy environment
We are exploring how smart policy can support and accelerate targets for early childhood development, particularly in partnership with the business community. This is to support the case behind the government’s review of UK family friendly benefits, to help close the gap with OECD peers.
The business benefits of supporting early childhood development
Supporting families and young children can have significant benefits for businesses, parents and wider society.
Prioritising early childhood drives more than just social impact. Businesses benefit from commercial and reputational benefits too: offering flexible benefits to employees can lower absenteeism, boost retention, and increase productivity, as well as investing in their future talent pipeline. Businesses that prioritise the quality of products and services for children benefit from enhanced brand reputation and customer loyalty.
Enhanced flexibility or leave entitlements from employers allows parents to spend more time with their children, boosting mental wellbeing and work-life balance. Whilst when businesses consider children in the design and delivery of their products and services, young children benefit through increased wellbeing and development outcomes.
Investing in early childhood could generate £45.5 billion per year for the UK economy from an increased focus on early childhood development, reduced public spending and investing in working parents. The next generation is also critical for future tax contributions. Every £1 invested in early childhood can have an ROI as high as £13 over the long term through better health, higher earnings, and reduced crime.
Progress to date
Shaping the business case
In 2025, we published 10 actionable ideas for how employers can better support working parents, outlining why targeted support for parents returning to work is essential for retention, wellbeing, and productivity.
Driving practical change in workplaces
We launched our flagship ‘80 for 90’ campaign in 2026, a unique employee policy idea supporting new parents returning to work. We are building a coalition of businesses committed to adopting 80 for 90.
Unlocking commercial opportunities
We are exploring how products and services can contribute to better outcomes for children. In early 2026, we published research on how supermarkets can seize commercial opportunities by supporting healthier choices for children.
Join our ‘80 for 90’ Pioneers Campaign to drive better outcomes for children
We are bringing together a group of leading businesses to participate in our “80 for 90” business trial.
‘80 for 90’ is one of the ideas from our paper on how businesses can support their working parents. This unique employee policy idea allows new parents returning from parental leave to work 80% of their hours for 90% of their pay until their child turns two.
Get in touch
To find out more about the project or get involved, contact Amie Kendall via amie.kendall@re-generate.org
