Although it was not planned to come into force until September 2008, the DfES planned to produce a non-statutory CD-Rom, giving guidance and examples of good practice, by November and the final document for the framework by the end of the year.
But a spokesperson for the Early Childhood Forum, a coalition of 48 leading associations and organisations co-ordinated by the National Children's Bureau, said it is 'their understanding' that the framework documentation will now be available in early January 2007.
She said, 'There has been such a strong message from the sector that Birth to Three Matters is not visible in the new framework and this delay, although slight, is very welcome. We hope our response will be considered and incorporated into future changes before implementation in September 2008.'
Since the consultation document was first launched by children's minister Beverly Hughes in May 2006, the curriculum has attracted widespread criticism. Many within the sector are opposed to the proposed format, which extends the areas of learning to birth, and fear it will result in a 'checklist' approach to provision.
Practitioners at Fortune Park Children's Centre in Islington, London, have recently catalogued their objections in a letter to Ruth Pimentel, national director of the Foundation Stage, and copied them to local MPs and Alan Johnson, minister for education and skills.
They state, 'The document is a hastily-conceived, watered- down version of the Foundation Stage stepping stones. A curriculum structure based around six areas of learning is completely inappropriate for babies and young children. The document is poorly constructed and badly written. It is difficult to work your way through and is full of contradictory messages.'
The letter continues, 'This document undermines all the work we have been putting in to offering babies and toddlers a developmentally-appropriate curriculum via the Birth to Three Matters framework. We see no good reason for this. It is a waste of all our work and all the resources spent on it.
We need an EYFS that continues the good work done by Birth to Three Matters from birth to five - longer if possible - not one that waters down a curriculum that is already very prescriptive and is getting more so.'
Sue Owen, director of the Early Childhood Unit at the National Children's Bureau, said, 'There is a danger that the framework as it stands will have a negative impact on creativity by promoting a "one-size-fits-all" model, rather than supporting staff in different settings to develop their own policies and practice.'
The Early Years Foundation Stage - Consultation on a single quality framework for services to children from birth to five closed for responses on 28 July, but it can be downloaded at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations.