EYFS Best Practice: All about… Intergenerational Co-location

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Co-located intergenerational care is created when elder care and childcare are provided within the same provision. This was started in the 1970s in Japan and has since been adopted by other countries, in particular the USA. Originally set up to face the challenge of an ageing, isolated elderly population, a growing body of evidence now suggests that regular engagement between the ages in a co-located setting benefits both groups in terms of improving health and well-being, as well as also impacting favourably on staff, employers and the community.

Last year, I was awarded a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship (see box, overleaf) to research intergenerational co-location in the US. Over a four-week period, I visited three states and spoke to a variety of stakeholders involved in seven co-located settings. My findings are now outlined in my report, ‘Starting Young: Lifelong lessons from intergenerational care and learning’ (see More information). In it, I conclude that bringing the old and young together is positive for all participants, but also that co-location can exist in a variety of business models, as well as in types of provision other than childcare, such as Reception and Year 1 classes.