Eleanor Sykes

Eleanor Sykes is the Advocacy Lead at Lively Minds, a global organization that partners with governments to unlock the power of parents and communities to provide quality, holistic early childhood care and development at home. Before joining Lively Minds, Eleanor spent many years as a teacher, gaining extensive experience across both early years and primary education. Over the past decade she has worked on a wide range of education projects, primarily in lower- and middle-income countries, supporting efforts to improve learning outcomes for young children. Her expertise spans early years curriculum design, teacher training and professional development, and foundational literacy and numeracy programs. Eleanor has developed curricula, delivered training and ongoing coaching for teachers, and helped create digital professional development courses for educators in under-resourced settings. Her work is grounded in a deep understanding of the conditions children need to thrive - including the critical holistic foundations established long before formal education begins.