Early Years Licensed Practitioner
At a glance
Qualification
Thrive Licensed
Practitioner
Typical duration
3 months
Training method
E-learning & live virtual sessions
PRICE PER PLACE
£849 ex. VAT
Join 15,000+ Thrive Licensed Practitioners transforming young lives.
What is Thrive Licensed Practitioner training?
Thrive Licensed Practitioner training is ideal for anyone working closely with babies, toddlers and very young children in a teaching, healthcare or social care role, including childminders and nursery and pre-school staff.
The transformational programme explores the science of early development, drawing on neuroscience, attachment theory and child development research to build a deep understanding of how early experiences shape lifelong learning, behaviour and wellbeing. Through practical strategies, you'll learn how to integrate this knowledge into daily routines to support children’s emotional resilience, confidence and self-esteem.
Using Thrive-Online, you'll discover how to assess children’s social and emotional skills, create and implement action plans to support healthy development, and track progress over time.
Training as a Thrive Licensed Practitioner can supercharge your setting’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) provision and support children to become calm, confident and ready to engage with life and learning.
Join the next cohort
Who the training is for
This course is ideal for anyone working closely with babies, toddlers and very young children in a teaching, healthcare or social care role, including childminders and nursery and pre-school staff.What's included:
- 3 months’ live, interactive online training with experienced Thrive experts
- E-learning modules full of additional theory, videos and resources
- Mentoring on your caseloads by Thrive specialists
- Individual feedback and support to complete the course
- A 100-page reference book to keep and refer back to after your course
How the programme is delivered
This program is structured into six modules, each comprising one e-learning module and 3 hours of skills-building with a Thrive trainer.
Together, these components are designed to help you understand key theories and develop practical skills to apply your learning effectively in real-world settings.
Through a blend of interactive content and hands-on practice, you'll build confidence and capability to integrate new knowledge into your everyday work.
Supporting young children’s development:
A goodie bag for early years providers
Get insights into the development of young children from leading Thrive experts, including:- E-guide on how to create a sense of belonging
- E-guides exploring what to do when little ones lash out or bite
- Webinar covering the evolving landscape of SEND in the early years
- Bite-sized videos offering emotions resources for early years
Over 795,000 children and young people currently benefit from the Thrive Approach. Begin your journey to becoming a Thrive Licensed Practitioner and join our mission to support millions of children and young people.
Elizabeth Leer | Headteacher, Early Years Thrive Licensed Practitioner at Rothesay Nursery School
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
“Thrive is a constant reminder about how important it is to know about neuroscience and how children’s brains are developing, especially during the early years. We can almost be like brain surgeons because children’s brains are able to forge new connections and adapt. What we do here really is shaping children’s futures.”
Patricia Scott
Pastoral Lead & Thrive Practitioner, Little Mead Primary Academy.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
“Thrive training exceeded my expectations and it has brought me huge benefits professionally and personally. It’s been an amazing journey that has completely transformed me. I'd advise anyone thinking about starting Thrive training to go for it, for your own mental health and for professional satisfaction.”
They did it, so can you!
Frequently asked questions
During the 3-month training, you'll explore:
- Key theories of early child development and strategies that support optimal social and emotional health and wellbeing for babies, toddlers and young children
- How to assess the social and emotional skills of groups and individuals, build targeted action plans and monitor progress using Thrive-Online
- Strategies and activities to support learning for babies, toddlers and young children
- Relational experiences that support key developmental tasks
- How to recognise the key times that babies, toddlers or young children may struggle with, and provides strategies for managing these times
- How to notice and address early signs of difficulties and offer relevant support to meet individual needs within time
To fully benefit from this practical, hands-on course and achieve Licensed Practitioner status, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
- Work with children over time: The training is designed to provide you with tools and techniques to use in real-world settings. To apply what you learn and qualify for professional licensing, you’ll need to be actively working with children during the training period. Evidence of this will be required.
- Commit to full attendance: Attending all sessions is essential to gaining the knowledge and skills needed for Licensed Practitioner status.
Thrive Licensed Practitioner training is covered by Thrive's Wise Investment Guarantee. This means that if a Licensed Practitioner leaves a setting within 12 months of starting their course, we'll train another member of staff for free within 12 months of the original start date.
For settings that would like to commission a face-to-face training session, there is a flat rate charge of £490 per trainer per day (or part thereof) plus VAT.
Thrive Licensed Practitioner training focuses on promoting pupils’ social and emotional wellbeing, which often aligns closely with the needs of pupils with SEND. Many children with SEND face challenges in managing emotions, building resilience, or navigating social interactions, and this course equips you with the tools and strategies to support these areas effectively.
However, the programme does not specifically cover areas such as SEND assessment, early identification of SEND, or targeted teaching strategies for specific needs like ASD, attachment and trauma, or dyslexia. While you’ll gain skills to foster an inclusive environment and address emotional barriers to learning, this course is not a dedicated SEND programme.
If your primary focus is SEND-specific support, you may need to explore additional qualifications tailored to those needs. That said, Licensed Practitioner training is an excellent choice for building expertise in helping all pupils, including those with SEND, thrive emotionally and socially.
From the year after you qualify, you’ll need to complete Thrive CPD each academic year and earn at least 10 Thrive CPD points.
Book your place
Choose from the course dates below. To view the full schedule of sessions for each programme, click the eye icon labelled ‘Click for more details’.