Confidence as a Catalyst: Introducing the Parent Confidence Index

Early childhood debates often begin with child outcomes such as language development, behaviour and school readiness. These outcomes matter. But they move slowly and they tell us little about the daily engine that drives them: what mums, dads and carers feel able to do with their children at home.

At Babyzone, our work across hubs and digital pathways has consistently shown that parents already carry the love and potential their children need. The question is not whether families care, but whether they feel confident enough to act on that care, especially on tired, busy and messy days.

This insight sits at the heart of Confidence as a Catalyst, Babyzone’s new insights report, which introduces the Parent Confidence Index (PCI) and sets out our early years research agenda.

Why confidence matters

Research shows that parental confidence, often described as parental self-efficacy, is closely linked to positive child outcomes including self-regulation, early language, early maths and social and emotional wellbeing. Importantly, this confidence is not fixed. Evidence shows it is malleable and can grow within weeks when parents are supported in the right ways.

Yet confidence is rarely measured directly. Advice is plentiful, but many parents experience hesitation at the point of action. They may know what they are “meant” to do, but feel unsure, judged or afraid of getting it wrong. When confidence is low, advice can feel overwhelming. When confidence is higher, the same advice feels achievable.

The Parent Confidence Index is designed to sit exactly at this junction.

What is the Parent Confidence Index

The PCI is a short, non-judgemental confidence check that takes around three to four minutes to complete. It focuses on how confident mums, dads and carers feel about starting, persisting and asking for help, alongside confidence in everyday learning activities such as talk, play, reading, singing, counting and calming.

Rather than measuring what has or has not been done, the PCI captures the belief “I can do this with my child”. It is paired with simple weekly indicators of everyday activity and brief child-focused checks to understand whether rising confidence translates into richer home learning experiences.

This approach allows Babyzone to test a clear hypothesis: if confidence is a catalyst, changes should be visible long before traditional child outcome measures shift.

From measurement to system change

The report sets out how Babyzone is using the PCI across hubs and digital pathways as part of a wider research and learning agenda. Over the next 12 to 24 months, hubs will operate as living labs, running rapid cycles of testing and learning to identify what most effectively builds confidence in real conditions.

The longer-term ambition is for confidence to become a shared outcome across early years systems. Alongside attendance and child development indicators, we believe it is vital to ask how confident parents feel and whether that confidence is growing.

By measuring what matters and sharing what works, Babyzone aims to support a shift from auditing parents for deficits to building systems that help parents feel able, safe and supported to act.

You can read the full Confidence as a Catalyst report here and explore how the Parent Confidence Index is shaping Babyzone’s work across the early years.