The Professional Development Programme (PDP) was designed to provide high-quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to pre-reception early years practitioners to improve their practice. The first two phases of PDP were delivered between 2019 and 2022. The third phase of the programme (early years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP3)) was delivered between 2023 to 2025 as part of the Early Years Education Recovery (EYER) programme, which aimed to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early years education settings, particularly those in the most deprived areas. The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned CooperGibson Research (CGR), an independent research agency, to conduct a process evaluation of the third phase of the early years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP3), which provided early years practitioners (EYPs) with training on communication and language, early mathematics and personal, social and emotional development (PSED).