As the new year begins with the gentle spring breeze, we hope this vibrant energy of spring leads to success and fulfillment to all parents, teachers, and friends. This issue brings together a range of compelling topics. It offers a brief overview of the Children of the 2020s study, which is following nearly 8,500 children born in England between September and November 2021. The study aims to shed light on what early childhood looks like for children growing up in England today. Other highlights include a summary of key KIT findings on how children’s extended discourse develops between the ages of 3 and 5, as well as a feature on the dedicated field interviewers working on the KIT project. Finally, we present a review of “Che cos’è un bambino?”, a beautifully written and illustrated storybook by Beatrice Alemagna. Through evocative language and imagery, the book reminds us that every child is both unique and deeply connected to the world around them.

Children of the 2020s Study 
Funded by the UK Department for Education (DfE), the Children of the 2020s Study is a newly launched longitudinal cohort study in the UK. It is a collaborative effort among several universities, including University College London and the University of Oxford. The study tracks approximately 8,500 children born in England between September and November, 2021. Participants were selected from child benefit records maintained by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the UK’s tax, payments, and customs authority. Data is being collected in five waves, beginning when the children are 9 months old and continuing at around ages 2, 3, 4, and 5. At ages 2, 4, and 5, data collection is conducted through telephone interviews and online questionnaires. The study aims to support evidence-based policymaking by collecting comprehensive data on multiple aspects of early childhood. This covers assessments of children's development, details about their home and neighborhood environments, family structure, physical and mental health, the learning environment at home, and both formal and informal childcare and early education settings. Additionally, the study plans to use dedicated mobile apps to gather data on young children's daily activities and home environments—such as diary entries, audio clips, and video recordings—as well as key features of their early childcare and preschool settings. For more information about the Children of the 2020s Study, please visit the official website: https://children2020s.ipsos.com/.

KIT Findings on Child Development
Young children’s language and communication abilities develop rapidly after the age of two, marking a critical period in their language development. During this time, both the quantity and quality of their language skills improve significantly — their vocabulary grows quickly, and their understanding of language structure becomes increasingly sophisticated. As their lexical and syntactic abilities advance, they are able to comprehend and use a wider range of words and phrases, and their utterances become longer and more complex. Beginning with single words and simple sentences, they gradually progress to producing more complex sentence structures. Eventually, they develop the ability to engage in extended discourse by linking multiple sentences using conjunctions.
Extended discourse refers to children’s ability to describe, explain, or talk about something in a coherent and complete manner. For example, they may retell a story they have heard, share personal experiences, or explain how they accomplished a task. To better understand the development of extended discourse abilities among young children in Taiwan, the KIT project specifically included a question in the parent questionnaire: “The child can clearly explain the procedure to complete something (e.g., the child can explain how to build a castle with toy building blocks or the rules of a game).”
The analysis results indicate that at age three, 27.5% of children are just beginning to demonstrate this ability, while 29.2% can do it occasionally but have not yet mastered it. Meanwhile, 18.9% have not shown this ability at all, and only 24.3% are able to perform it proficiently. By age four, however, nearly half of the children (47%) can perform the task proficiently, and the proportion of those who can do it occasionally increases to 31.3%. By age five, more than 90% of children are able to clearly explain the steps involved in completing a task.
Extended discourse is crucial not only because it reflects young children’s language development, but also because it influences their future reading, writing, and social interaction skills. Therefore, it is recommended that parents encourage children to verbally share their experiences, retell stories they have heard, and describe the details of past events. Cultivating the ability to clearly and coherently explain things from an early age lays a solid foundation for future learning and interpersonal communication.
 

Faces Behind KIT
Field interviewers are at the heart of the KIT project. As the frontline personnel who engage directly with respondents, their attitude and the quality of their work are vital. Their professionalism plays a crucial role in supporting accurate and comprehensive data collection, as well as in maintaining a high interview completion rate.

To ensure high-quality interviews, the project holds annual training sessions for field interviewers. These sessions cover a range of topics, including the operation of the interview system, an overview of the interview process, data quality control, and verification mechanisms. In addition, the questionnaire content is thoroughly explained and discussed to help field interviewers confidently address any questions respondents may raise. A simplified test on children’s development and learning, designed for elementary school students, is also included in the training. The test content, administration instructions, and important precautions are explained in detail. To make sure field interviewers fully understand and become familiar with the procedures, they are required to conduct hands-on practice both during and after the training sessions. Field interviewers are allowed to administer the child assessment only after passing the hands-on qualification exercise. The project also strictly adheres to personal data protection regulations. All interviewers are required to sign a legally binding confidentiality agreement to protect that respondents’ personal information remains secure, thereby safeguarding their rights and upholding research ethics.
In order to enhance interview efficiency and provide timely support to field interviewers, the KIT project has appointed full-time staff to supervise them. This arrangement allows the project to monitor interview progress, offer prompt assistance, and provide necessary guidance. Moreover, the project adopts regular audit mechanisms and data analysis of interview records to assess interview completeness and ensure data accuracy.
Field interviewers serve as an important bridge between the KIT project and its respondents. Over the years, they have accompanied participating children on their developmental journeys, witnessing their growth and milestones. We sincerely thank the parents, teachers, and children for their support and for warmly welcoming our interviewers. May every child continue to grow up healthy and happy, surrounded by love and care.

Children’s Book Review

“Che cos’è un bambino?” is written and illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna—a poetic reflection on childhood that celebrates its uniqueness, curiosity, and emotional depth. With striking illustrations, the book quietly yet powerfully captures the qualities, behaviors, and needs of children. Through its pages, children may see themselves, while adults are invited to rediscover traces of their own lost childhood—and to truly see the children before them. It encourages readers to recognize individuality, embrace differences, and view the world with wonder and sensitivity. The Italian version is available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/8889210257), while the Chinese edition can be found on Books.com.tw (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0011006180). You can also listen to the story via this link: https://youtu.be/2CRwCWIo0Ws.