Early Childhood and Health & Wellbeing

Early childhood and health and wellbeing is a field that recognises how profoundly the first years of life shape everything that follows. The developmental trajectories established in infancy and early childhood, cognitive, social, emotional, and physical, are influenced by the quality of care and relationships children experience, the environments they inhabit, and the structural conditions of the families and communities they are born into. Understanding early childhood therefore requires both a firm grounding in child development science and a critical awareness of the social and systemic factors that produce inequality in children's outcomes.

At Liverpool Hope University, this three-year full-time programme develops advanced knowledge of young children, covering child development, early learning, children's interactions with adults and peers, and the effects of local and global inequalities on children's lives and wellbeing. You will study health and wellbeing alongside early childhood, exploring the conditions that support flourishing in the early years and the interventions that can make a difference when children face adversity. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad option, and work placement, giving you a rich set of opportunities to apply your learning in professional and international contexts.

These practical elements develop the professional competence and reflective skills that employers in the early years and children's services sectors value highly.

Graduates are prepared for careers across the early years sector, including nursery management, children's centre work, early years education, family support, and the voluntary and community sector. The health and wellbeing dimension also opens pathways into public health, community health roles, and children's charities. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in early childhood education, social work, child and adolescent health, or related fields, and the degree equips you to advocate effectively for young children's rights and needs in any professional context.