Terms & Conditions

The Early Ground Institute

Last updated: 19 September 2026

Welcome to The Early Ground Institute. These Terms & Conditions govern your use of our website and the purchase, download and use of our digital resources. By purchasing a resource from The Early Ground Institute, you agree to these Terms & Conditions, subject to any rights and protections that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted. Please read them carefully before completing a purchase.

1. About The Early Ground Institute

The Early Ground Institute provides evidence-informed educational resources for early childhood professionals, families and caregivers. Our publications are designed to support professional learning, understanding of early development, informed reflection and the thoughtful application of knowledge within everyday practice and family life. Our digital resources include Caregiver Notes, Caregiver Guides, Family Companions, Professional Development Series volumes, Professional Guides and Practice Tools. The availability of individual products and collections may change over time.

2. Digital products

The Early Ground Institute sells downloadable digital publications and educational materials. Unless otherwise stated in an individual product description, our resources are supplied as PDF files. Each product page provides information about the resource, including its title, description, format, page count and price. Please review this information before purchasing to ensure that the resource is appropriate for your intended individual use. All purchases are for digital content. No physical product will be shipped unless explicitly stated otherwise. Purchasing a digital resource does not include individual consultation, professional supervision, personalised assessment, clinical services or ongoing educational support.

3. Prices and payments

Product prices are displayed on our website in the currency indicated at checkout. The total amount payable will be shown before you confirm your purchase, including any applicable taxes or additional charges displayed during checkout. Payment is processed through the payment methods made available on our website. An order is completed once payment has been successfully processed and the purchase has been confirmed. We may update product prices at any time. Any price change will not affect an order that has already been completed and confirmed.

If an obvious pricing or technical error affects an order, we will contact the customer to explain the issue and arrange an appropriate resolution, including a refund where necessary.

4. Digital delivery and downloads

Digital resources are delivered electronically. Once payment has been successfully received, a download link is normally made available through the order confirmation process and sent to the email address provided at checkout. If payment is delayed, access to the digital resource will be provided once payment has been confirmed. Please ensure that the email address entered during checkout is accurate and that you have access to it. Download links may remain active for a limited period. We recommend downloading and saving your purchased files promptly. If your download link expires, you do not receive the file, or you experience a technical problem accessing your purchase, please contact us using the details provided at the end of these Terms & Conditions. We will review the issue and provide reasonable assistance, including a replacement download link where appropriate. You are responsible for maintaining access to the files you have successfully downloaded and for using compatible software to open them.

5. Individual use licence

All digital resources published by The Early Ground Institute are licensed exclusively for the individual use of the person who purchases them.

Your purchase grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to download and use the purchased resource for your own educational, personal or professional purposes. This licence permits you to access, read and consult the resource individually.

Professional resources may be used to support your own learning, reflection and professional practice. This permission does not extend to sharing or distributing the purchased materials to other people. Practice Tools may be downloaded, printed and completed for your own individual use, including as a personal aid within your professional practice. This permission does not authorise you to provide copies of the original or completed materials to families, clients, colleagues, students, institutions or any other third parties. Except for the personal use expressly permitted above or uses otherwise permitted by applicable law, you may not:

Share, forward or distribute purchased files or download links.
Reproduce materials for use by other people.
Upload purchased resources to shared drives, websites, online platforms or publicly accessible repositories.
Publish, sell, resell, sublicense or otherwise make the materials available to third parties.
Incorporate the materials into publications, training programmes, courses, commercial products or institutional resource collections for distribution to others.
Remove or alter copyright notices, authorship information or other intellectual property notices.

Each purchase provides an individual licence only. Purchasing one copy of a resource does not grant a group, team, classroom, institutional or redistribution licence. Any use beyond the individual licence described above requires prior written permission from The Early Ground Institute.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions restricts uses that cannot lawfully be prohibited.

6. Intellectual property

All original content published by The Early Ground Institute, including its publications, written materials, visual designs, illustrations, diagrams, original frameworks, Practice Tools and branding, is protected by applicable intellectual property rights. Unless otherwise indicated, the intellectual property rights in these materials belong to The Early Ground Institute or their respective rights holders. Purchasing a resource grants permission to use that resource within the limits of the individual licence described above. It does not transfer ownership of the resource's intellectual property rights. The Early Ground Institute name, visual identity and branding may not be used in a manner that suggests an affiliation, endorsement, partnership or authorisation that has not been expressly granted.

7. Educational purpose and professional disclaimer

The resources published by The Early Ground Institute are intended for educational and informational purposes. They are designed to support understanding, learning, observation and reflection. They do not provide individualised assessment, diagnosis, treatment, clinical supervision or professional advice tailored to a particular person, child, family or situation. The information presented in our publications is based on the educational scope and sources identified within each resource. Although we aim to provide accurate and evidence-informed content, knowledge, professional guidance and recommended practices may develop over time. Readers should consider the date, context and scope of each publication and consult appropriate professional guidance when making decisions that require individual assessment or specialist knowledge.

For families and caregivers

Our family-facing resources are designed to support understanding of early development, parenting and everyday family experiences.

They do not replace consultation with an appropriately qualified healthcare, developmental, mental health or other relevant professional.

Every child and family has individual circumstances that cannot be fully assessed through a general educational publication. If you have concerns about a child's health, development, feeding, sleep, behaviour, emotional wellbeing or safety, seek guidance from an appropriately qualified professional. Pregnancy-related and postnatal resources do not replace individual prenatal, postnatal, medical or mental health care.

If you or another person may be in immediate danger or require urgent medical attention, seek appropriate emergency assistance without relying on the information contained in our publications.

For professionals

Our professional resources are intended to support continuing learning, critical reflection and the development of professional knowledge and practice. They do not replace individual clinical judgement, professional supervision, formal assessment, institutional requirements or the professional standards applicable to a particular field of practice. The purchase or completion of a resource does not constitute professional certification, accreditation, licensure or authorisation to undertake activities outside the purchaser's professional qualifications or scope of practice. Professionals remain responsible for applying information appropriately, considering the individual circumstances of the people they support and obtaining further guidance or supervision when necessary.

8. Use of Practice Tools

Practice Tools are designed to support individual professional learning, observation, organisation and reflection. They may be completed or used as personal working resources within the purchaser's own professional practice, subject to the individual licence described in Section 5. They are not intended to function as independent diagnostic instruments or substitutes for validated assessments unless an individual product expressly states otherwise. The purchaser is responsible for determining whether a particular tool is appropriate for their professional role, intended purpose and context of use. If personal or confidential information is entered into a Practice Tool, the purchaser is responsible for handling that information appropriately and maintaining the confidentiality and security required within their professional practice.

The Early Ground Institute does not require purchasers to submit completed Practice Tools or identifiable information about children, families or clients as part of the ordinary purchase and use of these resources.

9. Cancellations, refunds and download issues

Our products are digital resources that are normally made available for download after payment has been confirmed. Because digital content can be accessed and retained immediately after delivery, we do not ordinarily offer discretionary refunds solely because a customer has changed their mind after receiving the purchased resource. However, this does not affect any cancellation, withdrawal, refund or other rights that may apply to your purchase. Where applicable, any required consent or acknowledgement relating to immediate digital delivery and the effect on cancellation rights must be obtained as part of the purchasing process.

Incorrect, defective or inaccessible files

If you receive an incorrect file, cannot access your purchase, or discover that a resource is defective or materially different from its product description, please contact us. We will review the issue and seek an appropriate resolution, which may include providing the correct file, restoring access, replacing a defective file or issuing a refund where appropriate.

Duplicate purchases or payment errors

If you believe you have been charged more than once for the same purchase or that a payment has been processed incorrectly, please contact us with your order details. We will review the transaction and arrange an appropriate resolution.

Refund requests

To request assistance or a refund, contact us using the details provided at the end of these Terms & Conditions. Please include your order number, the email address used for the purchase and a brief description of the issue. Approved refunds will normally be issued through the original payment method, where possible. The time required for a refund to appear in your account may depend on the relevant payment provider. Nothing in this section excludes, limits or overrides any consumer rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.

10. Responsible use of the website

You agree to use our website and digital resources lawfully and in accordance with these Terms & Conditions. You must not attempt to interfere with the website's operation, compromise its security, gain unauthorised access to its systems or use its services to infringe the rights of other people. You must not use purchased resources in a manner that falsely represents their origin, authorship or the involvement of The Early Ground Institute. We may take reasonable steps to address misuse of the website or unauthorised distribution of our materials, subject to applicable requirements.

11. External links and resources

Our website and publications may refer to third-party websites, research publications, professional organisations or other external resources.

These references are provided to support learning and access to additional information. Unless expressly stated otherwise, their inclusion does not imply that The Early Ground Institute is affiliated with or endorses every aspect of the referenced organisation, website or resource. External websites operate independently and may have their own terms, policies and content practices.

12. Availability and changes to resources

We aim to keep our website and digital resources accessible and functioning appropriately. However, temporary interruptions may occur because of maintenance, technical problems or circumstances affecting the services used to operate the website. We may update, revise or discontinue individual products or website features. Changes to a product listing will not retrospectively alter the terms of a completed purchase or remove rights that arose from that purchase. Unless expressly stated in the relevant product description, purchasing a resource does not include entitlement to future editions, updates, additional products or ongoing access to a subscription service. If a technical or operational issue affects access to a resource you have purchased, please contact us so that we can review the situation and provide appropriate assistance.

13. Responsibility and limitations

The Early Ground Institute aims to provide accurate, clearly presented and evidence-informed educational resources. However, the application of educational information depends on individual circumstances, professional context and other factors beyond the scope of a general publication.

We do not guarantee that using a resource will produce a particular developmental, educational, clinical, parenting or professional outcome. The purchaser remains responsible for determining whether a resource is suitable for their intended individual use and for obtaining individual professional guidance where appropriate. Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or restricts liability, statutory guarantees, consumer rights or other protections that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.

14. Privacy

Personal information collected through our website and digital store is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Please refer to the Privacy Policy available on our website for information about how personal information is collected, used, stored and shared, and about the privacy choices and rights that may be available to you.

15. Changes to these Terms & Conditions

We may update these Terms & Conditions to reflect changes in our products, services, website functionality or applicable requirements.

When changes are made, the date displayed at the beginning of this page will be updated. The version applicable to a completed purchase will be the version in effect when the purchase was made, subject to any changes that are validly agreed or otherwise permitted. Where appropriate, we will provide additional notice of significant changes.

16. Contact

For questions about a purchase, technical difficulties, licensing enquiries or these Terms & Conditions, please contact:

The Early Ground Institute

Email: info@earlygroundinstitute.com

When contacting us about an order, please include your order number and the email address used during checkout so that we can identify the relevant purchase.