Developing and implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum for the early years

MICHIEL WILS, MAXIME BULTHEEL, TIM SURMA, JASPER NIJLUNSING, CLAUDIO VANHEES AND PAUL A KIRSCHNER THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES, BELGIUM Introduction Knowledge of the world is essential for later reading and writing skills, and even predicts maths and science outcomes (Grissmer et al., 2010). However, ‘world knowledge’ is not evenly distributed: variations in home environments are associated with differences in early developmental outcomes, which can contribute to a widening gap between children’s knowledge and learning over time (Passaretta et al., 2022). Recent studies offer promising evidence that a well-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum, starting in the early years, can help to lay strong foundational knowledge for all children (Chambers et al., 2016; Surma et al., 2025). This article presents an overview of key characteristics of a knowledge-rich curriculum, before illustrating these in practice through a case study of three preschools in Antwerp, Belgi