A report in Nursery World highlighted free training for practitioners on involving parents in their children's learning. Funded by DCSF, the training is part of the Parents, Early Years and Learning project (PEAL).
The training is available to early years professionals in children's centres, nurseries, pre-schools and childminders. The training is a nationally recognised qualification.
(Nursery World, 29.11.07)
More information on PEAL
Children & Young People Now reported on an announcement that more health visitors and midwives will be trained with an extra 1,000 roles expected by 2009. Alan Johnson, Health Secretary, made the announcement at a recent Labour party conference.
The article noted that the announcement has been welcomed by unions such as Unite, who have been campaigning for more health visitors to work in the community, including children's centres.
Johnson's statement that more health visitors were needed in children's centres (see article below) was highlighted. He was quoted in the article and said, "We will need more specialist nurses and health visitors to tackle public health issues in deprived communities."
In response to Johnson's announcement, Kevin Coyne from Unite was quoted and said, "This is a very welcome statement and we look forward to working with the Health Secretary and his ministerial team to achieve this increase in health visiting and specialist nurses working in areas of serious disadvantage."
(Children & Young People Now, 3-9.10.07, added to website 21.11.07)
An article in Children & Young People Now reported that Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health, has called for health visitors to be given a more active role in children's centres.
According to the union, Unite, a health visitor loses their job every day due to cuts in funding. They released figures which show that health visitor numbers are at a 13 year low. It was also reported that there is a 40 per cent cut in the numbers of health visitors being trained.
Johnson was quoted in the article and said, "Because I have been education minister and am now the health minister, I can see the need for health visitors to play a more active role in children's centres. They are the first port of call for many parents."
The chief executive of 4Children, Anne Longfield was also quoted. "It's very welcome he has recognised that health visitors are often parents first experiences of support services for children. I hope he will now see this through in terms of broader policies supporting health visitors."
(Children & Young People Now, 12-18.09.07, added to website 16.11.07)
A report in Nursery World featured recent research which showed that young children can bond with robots in the same way they bond with their human peers. A study was conducted by the University of California, looking at toddlers' interactions with two robots over a five month period.
It is part of the RUBI project which aims to develop and evaluate interactive computer devices to assist early years teachers. Co-author, Dr Javier Movellan was quoted in the article and explained how RUBI has a Teletubby appearance, with its aim to teach children age-appropriate materials. QRIO is a more child-like robot, which encouraged more social interactions and behaviour than RUBI.
Movellan also said, "I think early educational robots will become an essential tool and would help the development of happy, smart and well-adjusted children. However, we need to get there in a very careful manner."
Jennie Lindon, an early years consultant from the UK was quoted and said, "This study demonstrates the sophistication of very young children. However, there is a real risk that parents and practitioners are being encouraged to delegate communication to equipment. And what has happened to personal interaction, if we need a project with robots to show that toddlers need touch, responsiveness and child-friendly timing."
(Nursery World, 15.11.07)
Nursery World reported that a director of play has been appointed at Eureka! Museum for Children in Halifax, which is thought to be a new position within UK museums. Play-based activities will be developed at the nursery including designing two galleries for under-fives.
Rebbeca Johnson, who was one of the first early years practitioners to be awarded Early Years Professional (EYP) status, has been appointed to the new role.
(Nursery World, 15.11.07)
An article featured in Nursery World and written by the EPPE 3-11 team argued that evaluations of Government programmes need to look in the right places, following a recent research paper which questioned the effectiveness of the Government's investment into early years provision.
A team from Durham led by Dr Christine Merrell reported on assessments on six cohorts of children from 2001-2006 when they entered school. PIPS tests were carried out by reception class teachers on literacy and numeracy skills. The paper reviewed major Government initiatives alongside presenting their findings that there were no gains in literacy and numeracy attainment.
The article argued that using this data to evaluate the impact of Government initiatives has several weaknesses.
It stated that the Sure Start initiative has a wide range of outcomes, not specifically targeted at developing skills such as reading words and sentences. Inter-agency co-operation, working with parents and enhancing children's social skills were all examples not considered in the Merrell study.
The article also noted that since Sure Start only began in 2000, it was unlikely that the children most affected by Sure Start Programmes would have been entering school from 2001-2006. In addition there was no evidence in the study on the kinds of pre-school experience that the children had, which are important predictors of child outcomes at school entry, in the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE).
The report concluded that high profile media claims of wasted Government investment in early years following the Merrell report could convey a mis-leading message about the benefits of pre-school and early years settings.
(Nursery World, 04.10.07)
Children & Young People Now reported that the Children's Workforce Development Council has awarded £50,000 to a project which aims to help improve young children's speaking and listening skills.
The project, Communication Friendly Spaces, has been developed through a partnership between learning environment specialist Elizabeth Jarman Ltd and the National Childminding Association and will focus on childminders and nannies in the home environment.
Lead partner Elizabeth Jarman was quoted in the article and said, "A review of the way we have traditionally created learning spaces for children is long overdue. Potentially this programme will make a huge difference to children's speaking and listening skills."
(Children and Young People Now, 26.09.07 - 02.10.07)
Read more on Communication Friendly Spaces
An article in the Guardian highlighted government figures which showed that one in seven children are unable to write their own name or say the alphabet by the age of five.
The results were from the Foundation Stage Profile and assessed more than 500,000 children. The article noted that students in more affluent areas with better communication and social skills were ahead of children in the poorest areas.
Other results also showed a third could not recognise simple words such as 'dog' or 'pen'. Fifteen percent were unable to write 'mum' or 'dad' or their own name from memory.
The article also noted that goverment initiatives such as Sure Start might come under scrutiny again and that so far there is little evidence of improvement in language, emotional and literacy developments in schools in England.
(Guardian, 12.10.07)
Booktrust announced the winners of their Early Years Awards at a ceremony at BAFTA in September. The winners include:
The winner for the Baby Book Award:
Jess Stockham Tucking In Child's Play
The winner for the Pre-School Award:
Polly Dunbar Penguin Walker Books
The winner for the Best Emerging Illustrator:
Emily Gravett Monkey and Me Macmillan Children's
The Big Picture campaign was also launched with an aim to put picture books in the public eye. For more information visit www.bigpicture.org.uk
(Added 10.10.07)
A report in Nursery World highlighted that children's centres are still not reaching many disadvantaged families according to delegates and speakers at the annual Sure Start conference.
It was felt that those who would benefit from services most were still not coming to the centres. Panellist Diane Kilgour, an extended schools co-ordinator was quoted in the article and said, "We've heard about all the good intentions, but in the real world those providing these services are exhausted and over-worked. We are having to deal with sometimes three generations of families who have always been unemployed and who are completely uninterested in engaging with local services. Problems associated with the behaviour of their children are accepted as something completely normal."
The importance of collaborative working was emphasised as key to success by Sheila Scales, director of Sure Start, Extended Schools and Childcare Groups at the Department of Children, Schools and Families.
Delegates spoke up with health professionals saying they often felt the last to be involved. The importance of health visitors to the role of children's centres was also highlighted with the need for something to be done as so many are leaving the profession.
(Nursery World, 27.09.07)
A report in Nursery World highlighted that new figures show a significant rise in communication skills and language development amongst young children in Nottingham.
In children's centre areas provisional results show a ten percentage point rise in children's scores for the communication, language and literacy Early Learning goal. It compared data from 2006-2007. There is no correlating data which would show how many of the children attended Sure Start, or early years provision.
Candida Brudenell, head of children's centres at Nottingham City Council was quoted in the article and highlighted the achievement as 'fantastic' considering some of the levels of deprivation. She noted that it was a number of factors that contributed to the gains, including an early reading development programme. She was quoted and said, "Having children's centre teachers in place has enhanced provision."
(Nursery World, 13.09.07)
Nursery World reported that an academic in Early Childhood studies has warned that nurseries need guidelines in place about children using dummies. Dr Judy Marsh, from University of Wolverhampton, sought views on dummy use from 75 members of staff at five children's centres and three private nurseries.
There has also been
the publication of advice to parents recommending dummy use to prevent cot death, from the Department of Health and Foundation for Study in Infant Deaths.
Dr Marsh was quoted and said, "What I found is that no managers or practitioners had based their views on research, but their own experience, observations or what they had heard. All the nurseries and children's centres had some strategies to reduce dummy use but they also felt they had to do what parents wanted."
The article highlighted Dr Marsh's concerns over how the recently published advice would be implemented as it is advisory, and commented whether managers might ignore them. She said, "..will they begin to produce a policy to support dummies at sleep time from one month to 12 months, then take on board weaning babies from dummies at one year? Why not inform parents, have weaning parties, or offer help and strategies to parents?"
(Nursery World, 13.09.07)
An article in the Guardian reported on the growing number of grandparents providing childcare with more and more parents working. A recent survey showed that 64 per cent of families who have working parents, use grandparents for at least some of their childcare.
The article highlighted that problems can arise from such arrangements, such as grandparents juggling childcare with jobs, hobbies and their own lives, alongside other difficulties such as the financial implication of providing for children.
In the US, campaigners are calling for the formalisation of such arrangements, to ensure that everyone's needs are met. Caroline Needham from the Grandparents' Association was quoted and noted that parenting has changed greatly over the years, which could cause problems, and other issues such as whether or not grandparents are prepared to toddler-proof their house.
It was reported that for some grandparents the idea of a formal arrangement would not work. And a study in 2005 by Penelope Leach was highlighted, which considered whether grandparents were the best choice for childcare. It found that mothers caring for their young children was best, followed by nannies and childcarers, with grandparents next ahead only of nurseries. Leach was quoted and said, "It takes planning and thinking about the child and his or her activities to get childcare right."
The article emphasised the importance of thinking through all the issues with childcare and how a family care agreement could play a pivotal role in helping grandparents and their families clarify child care arrangements.
(Guardian, 08.09.07)
Nursery World reported on the TTYB Quick Tips translations, which are now available in 12 languages, with Polish, Portuguese and Turkish being added. The Quick Tips are free downloadable resources designed to help children from birth to three develop talking and listening skills.
(Nursery World, 06.09.07)
Children Now featured an article highlighting the impact of technology on communicating one-to-one. Anne Longfield, the chief executive of 4children, was the commentator and observed that as electronic communication increases, it seems that children are less able to communicate verbally.
The National Literacy Trust survey of head teachers was quoted in the article, highlighting the 75 per cent who were concerned about the decline of children's communication skills, as well as 89 per cent nursery workers who commented that they were dealing with increasing numbers of children with communication problems.
Anne Longfield highlighted a radio initiative to help improve children's communication skills from an early age, as well as work from I Can, which provides specialist support for those with communication difficulties. She concluded by emphasising the importance of ensuring traditional social and skills to relate to one another are not lost amongst the growth of communication and media.
(Children Now, 15.08.07 - 04.09.07)
The Guardian reported that a leading child development expert has rejected research from the University of Durham, which claims that the government's early learning intervention is having no impact.
Professor Ted Melhuish, from Birbeck, University of London was critical of the conclusions from the study, which found that language and other skills were not improving amongst four-year-olds starting school.
Professor Melhuish was quoted in the article and said, "It's too early. The first Sure Start pilots dated from 1999 and the full programme did not get going until 2004 and the children targeted by the Child Care Act of 2006 would not yet be at school. The effects won't show themselves for a couple of years yet and the really important effects won't show themselves until adolesence."
He also urged the government to continue with their policies and hold their nerve, as results would not come overnight. He commented that chopping and changing policy will not do any good. He also added, "The policy needs further refinement, but it is heading in the right direction, it's getting better year by year."
(Guardian, 29.08.07)
The Guardian reported on new research which claims that Labour measures have not had an impact on development when children are starting school. The study, which took place between 2001 and 2006 claims that there are no advances despite Labour's measures in early years education, such as Sure Start and Every Child Matters.
The research, from Durham University, looked at 35,000 children and measured four-year-olds cognitive development, in areas such as vocabulary, early reading and phonological awareness which are good predictors of later success. In analysing the results, deprivation, language, sex and age were taken into account, and showed that there was no significant change or a decrease in the gap between those on free meals and those who are not.
The report's author, Christine Merrell, was quoted in the article and said, "While the assessments used in the study do not measure how many children were involved in national initiatives, one would have expected that the major government programmes would have resulted in some measurable changes in our sample of almost 35,000 children."
(Guardian, 28.08.07)
An article in the TES reported on research into the importance of rhythm in language and learning to read. The researchers from Queens University in Ontario were quoted in the article and said, "Rhythm is an important part of language, becoming salient from birth."
It was also noted that at seven-and-a-half months babies are able to differentiate between the cadences of English and Japanese. The research which observed 53 children over three years aged six to ten tested their reading ability and sense of rhythm. Reading ability was greater amongst those who had a good sense of rhythm.
The researchers were quoted and said, "As children progress...reading ability requires the ability to tackle polysyllabic words, which involve the rhythmic alternation of strong and weak syllables. Rhythmic intonation is necessary for reading polysyllabic words, as it is required in order to assign stress properly."
(TES, 24.08.07)
An article published in the North-West Evening Mail reported on the lack of pusher-facing buggies available. The problem was highlighted by a local grandmother, Melanie Lee, who found that there was a gap in the market, when looking for a pushchair for her granddaughter.
Parent-facing buggies were available, but not stocked locally and were more expensive. Mrs Lee also noted the problem of forward facing pushchairs resulting in children being exposed to the sun.
Sure Start Health Visitor, Pam Woodward identified with the problems. She was quoted in the article and said,"It's common for prams to face mum but if you're wanting a buggy on it's own you would struggle to find one....The problem is, if you're talking to your baby, you're talking to the back of its head so they might not hear what you're saying."
The TTYB buggy campaign was also mentioned in the article with reference to the Walkie Talkie label helping to highlight pusher-facing buggies for parents. Liz Attenborough, Manager of TTYB, was quoted and said,"Forward-facing buggies have been identified by early years professionals as one of the factors believed to be contributing to the poor communication skills of children entering nursery and school. We want affordable, sociable pusher-facing Walkie Talkie buggies to be available to parents so that they can chat and respond to their toddlers."
(North-West Evening Mail, 18.08.07)
An article in the Guardian reported on research which suggests that educational DVDs, aimed at babies, such as Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, do not help with children's linguistic development.
The study showed that babies, who watched the DVDs, understood 6-8 few words than those who didn't, for every hour of watching them. If overused, it was reported that this may slow down vocabulary acquisition of infants aged eight to 16 months.
The research from the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Insitute interviewed over 1,000 families. Families were asked how many words from a list of 90 their children understood and also what TV and DVDs they watched as well as the frequency of children being read to.
Andrew Meltzoff, the co-author of the study was quoted in the article and said, "The results suprised us but they make sense. There are only a fixed number of hours that young babies are awake and alert. If the 'alert time' is spent in front of DVDs and TV instead of with people speaking in 'parentese' - that melodic speech we use with little ones - the babies are not getting the same linguistic experience".
(Guardian, 07.08.07)
Visit the TTYB webpages on the impact of television on early language development
Read the response from Disney to the research at www.denverpost.com/ci_6613712
A report in the Guardian highlighted recent research which suggests a mathmatical explanation for why a child's vocabulary dramatically increases at around 18 months.
Bob McMurray was featured in the US journal, Science, and explained that the way languages are structured results in the word explosion for toddlers. McMurray believes that statistics can explain why this happens, with around 60,000 words being learnt between birth and adulthood.
Easy words such as hi and bye are learnt by babies aged up to 12 months, and 4 months later there is often a dramatic increase. McMurray explained that in every language there are a few simple words, but many that are more moderate or difficult to learn, such as verbs or conceptual terms. As children learn easy words, a few months later their brains are more developed and have had longer to comprehend the more difficult words.
The Guardian reported that Dr McMurray's statistical study of word difficulty showed that nearly 4,000 words could be learnt in less than a quarter of the time it takes to learn the first 1,500 words.
Dr McMurray was quoted in the article and said, "They have to be learning more than one word at a time, and they must be learning a greater number of difficult or moderate words than easy words. Using computer simulations and mathematical analysis, I found that if those two conditions are true, you always get a vocabulary explosion".
(Guardian, 03.08.07)
Nursery World reported that MPs are warning of a possible shortage of Early Years Professionals to lead new children's centres. A report by the Public Accounts Committee highlighted that the 2,000 undergoing training as EYPs and 800 centre leaders will be insufficient numbers for the second and third phases of the programme.
The article also noted that disadvantaged families were not being reached, with data from last year's National Audit Office report quoted, and only showing a third of centres visited as proactively targeting 'hard to reach families'. It warned of a danger of the focus on a service for disadvantaged families being lost as the programme rolls out nationally.
The report also noted the need for more support for centres on financial management, with the amount spent per family using key services varying between centres.
To download the report visit: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/committee_of_public_accounts.cfm
(Nursery World, 26.07.07)
Nursery World featured an article on a course which focuses on helping practitioners improve their understanding of what factors contribute to healthy emotional development in young children. The two year course, Infant Mental Health, is offered by the London-based Tavistock Clinic and the University of East London.
With the EYFS stating that when young children's needs are met and their feelings recognised, they achieve emotional well-being, this course helps to support practitioners in this area. The two year course leads to a diploma in Infant Mental Health with the possibility of taking the qualification to an MA, through completing a dissertation.
The article also highlighted that the course trains students to become receptive observers spending time with a family and their baby. Other topics covered include child development, basic theoretical concepts and significant clinical findings to understand parent-infant relationships, and the social context.
(Nursery World, 12.07.07)
Nursery World reported that an independent review has suggested early intervention, prevention and health promotion should be the focus of health visits. According to the report, parents were confused about access to health visitors, and the services they should expect.
The report, Facing the Future: A review of the role of health visitors also advised that disadvantaged families should be prioritised, with intensive programmes. According to the article these should focus on promoting mental health for all the family, reducing infant mortality and giving support to parents on issues such as safeguarding children and domestic violence.
However, although the review was welcomed by the chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI), Mary Macleod, she was quoted in the article and commented that the review was 'opaque on the detail of how it will meet parents needs.' She also highlighted the FPI survey which found a wide variation of the numbers of health visitors across the country, and also the fact that training was cut by 40 per cent last year.
To download the report visit www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/
(Nursery World, 12.07.07)
An article in TES Cymru highlighted a report by Estyn which suggests an increase in the number of children unable to speak clearly or listen to adults is having an impact on teaching reading. The report by Estyn concluded that the sooner children are taught sounds the better, and inspectors also commented that if parents didn't sing or recite nursery rhymes with toddlers, this put them at a disadvantage when starting school.
Sally Francis, a head at Mount Airey Nursery was quoted and said, "If children can't speak clearly and recognise sounds when they start school they are not going to learn to read. We concentrate on sound recognition as part of a whole-school approach to phonics. It can no longer be taught in isolation because of a decline in the speech of four to five-year-olds."
Phonological skills should be developed according to the report. In addition the teaching of language rather than just phonics alone should be promoted. The chief inspector of Estyn was quoted in the report, "Pupils usually do better at learning to read when schools ensure that listening, speaking, reading and writing reinforce each other."
(TES Cymru, 29.06.07)
The Independent reported that a recent Rowntree study has found that white working-class boys leave school with little or no qualifications and perform worse than any other ethnic or gender group. It highlighted that a lack of parents talking to children in the home was a factor as well as cultural attitudes making learning uncool.
The report stated that the home learning environment was a key factor and highlighted language development as a further factor. It said, "The amount parents read to their children, the number of books in the home, the degree to which parents support their children in and out of school. Language development is a further factor: a young child in a professional class home will hear every day more than three times the number of words heard by a child in a home where the parents are of low-socio-economic status."
The report also showed that white boys failing at primary school were more likely to continue to do so in their secondary schooling and that reading was a problem for many boys seeing it as 'feminine' or 'unmanly'.
(Independent, 22.06.07)
Read more on the study.
The Guardian reported on research showing that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are a year behind their middle-class peers in social and educational development. The research, part of the Millennium Cohert Study, tracked 15,500 children who were born between 2000 and 2002. It found that class, education marital status and ethnic background of the parents all had an effect and determined a child's start in life.
Vocabulary tests demonstrated that children of parents with degrees were 10 months ahead of those from families with few educational qualifications. The article in the Guardian highlighted that Scottish children were three months ahead of the UK in their language development.
The article also stated that the results will be used in evaluating the Sure Start programme to establish whether it is helping to bridge the gap between children from a disadvantaged background. Professor Heather Joshi was quoted and said, "These children are on a marathon. They should not be written off if they come through their early years and are not ahead in the race. The families into which they were born did not provide a level starting point. They are not leaping out of their diverse backgrounds unmarked by their early experiences." She also noted that it was not possible to tell how much wider the gap might have been without Sure Start.
A Department of Education spokesman was quoted and said, "Closing attainment gaps between different groups of children is a massive priority for us. We are working hard to provide support such as catch-up lessons, one-to-one tuition and wraparound support for children and families - for example the Sure Start programme."
(Guardian, 11.06.07)
Children Now reported on the Nurse-Family partnerships following the launch of the scheme in the UK. The introduction of the project was met with some sceptical headlines in the UK press. However, Children Now highlighted that hard-to-reach parents have already come forward to take part, showing the potential to engage the most disadvantaged parents before their children are born.
Kate Billingham, who manages the UK project, featured in the article and highlighted the 90% uptake of parents who want to be involved. The scheme will cost £7 million and is a two year programme, which according to Kate Billingham has a great opportunity to transform the health visitor services and the lives of the children involved. She was quoted as saying: "What's interesting is to watch how the practitioners who deliver the programme have somehow been released. They're saying 'This is what I came into health visiting to do. I've been a health visitor 20 years, why did no one teach me this?'"
The article highlighted that the project involves identifying young first-time mothers, who are 12-16 weeks pregnant. The health visitors make regular visits on a weekly basis for the first month, then fortnightly up until the child is two years old. 10 pilot sites have been selected, with 100-150 families in each. Caseloads for practitioners will remain small at 25 families.
The scheme has been licensed from the US and renamed health-led parenting support project in the UK. The US project has been running for 25 years with positive results, including higher IQ levels and improved language development.
Children Now reported that timing is crucial to the success of the project according to both Professor David Olds, who runs the US programme and Kate Billingham. Making the most of a 'magic moment' around birth when parents are receptive was emphasised. Kate Billingham was quoted and said: "Timing is crucial. Working with parents very early on taps into these mothers' instinctive desire to protect their baby."
It was noted that the importance of having the same practitioner throughout was vital, instead of changing from midwife to health visitor after birth. This also gave vulnerable young parents a stable relationship. The article also focused on the fact that the project enables parents to lead and make decisions for themselves, instead of telling them what to do.
Another technique used is motivational interviewing to help parents deal with scenarios, and build up a relationship and attachment with the baby before it is born. It was also reported that other areas have approached Kate Billingham and are willing to roll out and pay for the programme themselves. This has been sufficent enough to help address the issue of how the project will be maintained.
(Children Now, 30.05.07-05.06.07)
More on health led parenting support project
Sure Start magazine featured an article on helping parents develop their children's language skills. The article highlighted a report from I Can which found that more than half of children arrive at school with 'impoverished' language skills. It emphasised the importance of communication for babies and toddlers as being at the heart of the Sure Start philosophy.
Liz Attenborough, TTYB Manager was quoted in the article and said, "Practitioners have a crucial role empowering parents, helping build the confidence they sometimes lack when it comes to engaging with their children."
The article went on to highlight strategies that can help parents increase their child's communication skills such as over-coming obstacles such as forward facing buggies, and dummies, the importance of working with parents, and making the most of opportunities to talk.
(Sure Start magazine, Summer 2007)
The Independent has reported on new research which shows babies are capable of differentiating between languages by studying facial movement. The pioneering study by the University of British Columbia in Canada even revealed that babies could tell between someone speaking English to speaking French on a muted video recording.
The article reported that researchers believe the 'visual speech' ability is a fundamental aspect of learning and language and babies learning two languages in a bilingual setting retain this for longer. According to the report in the journal Science, facial movements are vital to language learning and babies are able to recognise basic facial features even at birth.
The lead author of the study, doctoral student Whitney Weikum, was quoted in the article and said. "Talking faces are among the most dynamic and salient stimuli available to infants and the facial movements accompanying speech influence adult and infant speech perception." Ms Weikum highlighted how babies can use facial movement to distinguish when a person talking switches language.
"We already know that babies can tell languages apart using auditory cues. But this is the first study to show that young babies are prepared to tell languages apart using only visual information."
Infants aged four, six and eight months from monolingual families were used in the study alongside two other groups of children the same age but from bilingual English-French speaking families. The article reported that the younger babies from both monolingual and bilingual families could distinguish between the languages, but by the age of eight months the babies from monolingual families lost this ability. Babies from from bilingual families were still able to tell the languages apart at eight months.
Ms Weikum was quoted and said, "Babies who only hear and see one language don't need this ability, and their sensitivity to visual language information from other languages declines."
According to the Independent, the study's conclusion showed 'visual speech' was a necessary part of language learning in young babies, but the auditory aspect becomes more important as they got older, and the 'visual' ability was lost. However bilingual babies retained the visual aspect for longer to help them with the process of learning and distinguishing between two languages. Ms Weikum said: "Traditionally, visual speech has been regarded as a redundant signal in verbal communication. The present research shows that visual speech information alone is sufficient for language discrimination in infancy."
(Independent Online, 25.05.07)
The TES featured an article on the Walkergate early years centre in Newcastle which turned to three and four years olds to help create a new £5,000 playground. The head of the centre, Dorothy Gregory wanted a separate area for under twos where they could play safely from the older children.
The children were consulted by showing them different pictures of equipment and giving them piles of pennies to help them realise they could not buy everything. The children's ideas included a computer, swimming pool, sandpit, toy bricks and a tunnel. The final design incorporated the sandpit idea and also features a covered area and push-along toys.
Mrs Gregory was quoted in the article and said, "People talk about consulting children but it can be quite tokenistic. We have tried to make it real and relevant to the children. And as in any consultation, they discovered you do not always get what you suggest."
(TES, 27.04.07)
Nursery World reported that the toy industry is using children's early brain development theories to make commercial gains, according to a paper published in the US by the think tank education sector. The report, Million Doller Babies: Why Infants Can't Be Hardwired For Success looks at the belief that from birth to three, mental capacity is shaped and is irreversible.
Sara Mead, the report's author, was quoted in the article as emphasising that although many people make the assumption of the brain being most capable of learning at this time, not enough is known to recommend certain types of stimulation to enhance early childhood brain development. She added that parents in the US have been encouraged by such theories to buy products in the belief it will help their child's development and intellect. She said, "We live in a society that places a lot of stock in science so even vaguely saying a product is 'scientifically based' gives marketers a lot of credibility and stature with parents when they may not deserve it."
The article also quoted Jennie Lindon, a childcare consultant and psychologist in London who highlighted the impact in the UK. "This paper is absolutely applicable to the UK. The commercial products she is talking about have definitely reached us, with all the unsupported claims. Parents - even practitioners - are deeply tempted to delgate their responsibility to toys and DVDs. It encourages people to hand over personal communication to technology."
(Nursery World, 19.04.07)
Nursery World has reported on research which found that playworkers in Northern Ireland have helped increase attendance of traveller children at pre-school.
The independent report 'Early Years Development for Traveller Children' assesses The Toybox scheme. Playworkers visit traveller sites on a weekly basis and use a variety of resources such as toys, art materials and books with young children, to help develop communication, creative, motor, speech and language and social skills.
The scheme was set up in 2003 by NIPPA and Save the Children after it was revealed that traveller children were three times less likely to attend pre-school than children who are settled.
The Nursery World article quoted Siobhan Fitzpatrick, NIPPA chief executive, "In 1999 traveller children accessing pre-school was only 18 per cent. It is now 70 per cent. The programme doesn't just increase access to pre-school education, it acts as a bridge."
The article also highlighted the impact that playworkers had in giving support to parents and educating them about how crucial play is in the early years for children's social and educational development. Playworkers acted as a vital link between families, health visitors and social workers.
The report was quoted as emphasising that children involved in Toybox were seen by teachers, health visitors and playworkers as 'more confident and better prepared in terms of social, physical and emotional skills'.
(Nursery World, 10.05.07)
Children Now has reported that private and voluntary sectors are concerned at their apparent lack of representation on children's trusts.
Children Now found that only one council out of 10 polled randomly, had an early years representative listed as a member of its children's trust - this was the London Borough of Brent. The article also highlighted that council leads for children, young people and families, schools, Connexions, primary care trusts, police and fire services all have representation on local authorities, but early years providers do not.
The article quoted the Director of Clowns Day Nursery in Derbyshire, Andrew Large, who said that his local authority had refused to acknowledge his company as a viable party on the children's trust. "They told me they are going to contract out services so there is no role for the private and independent sector on the children's trust - even though I suggested we leave the room when commissioning is discussed."
The chief executive of the National day Nurseries association, Purnima Tanuku was also quoted in the article. "We are concerned that only a small proportion of local authorities seem to have direct representation of early years providers on children's trust boards."
(Children Now, 28.03.07 - 03.04.07)
Children Now featured an article on John Bercow, MP and chair of the APPG on Speech and Language Difficulties. The article highlighted his reputation as being 'one of the greatest communicators in the Hourse of Commons' as health minister Ivan Lewis puts it. Bercow's aim is to bring speech and language difficulties 'to the front of ministerial minds'.
The article quoted him as saying, "Together with my colleagues I intend to band on and on about these matters - in speeches, articles and oral questions - to the extent that ministers agree there is a problem and services must improve."
With early intervention being so crucial, the majority of the group's work will focus on children. The article also highlighted Bercow's success as chair on a number of APPGs, such as mobilising 323 MPs to back an early day motion, pushing the government into backing UN action against the Burmese regime.
Bercow highlights that children with problems in communication often attract less attention. He is quoted as saying, "If the problem remains hidden, children develop a sort of basic competence in communication and people don't realise they still have real difficulties in communicating."
The article outlines that Bercow will lobby for two specific policies. The earlier screening of young children is one. Bercow said, "We need to have a proper audit and know the facts - not only how many people have a problem, but what it is and how best they can be helped." The second is to have a speech and language therapist in every young offender institution (YOI) - almost two-thirds of young offenders have some form of communication problem. Bercow is quoted as highlighting the problem for people in YOI who cannot access education if they cannot communicate or find it difficult to relate to others.
The Children Now article reported that Bercow makes no promises as to how the group's success will be judged over the next year, but that he hopes it will secure better screening, more therapists and collaboration between health and education departments. Indeed before the meeting was over, Lewis spontaneously promised to launch best practice guidance to bring the two departments together.
(Children Now, 21-27.03.07)
An AAPG on Speech and Language Difficulties has recently
been set up, with its purpose being to raise awareness
on communication disorders, highlight the importance
of early intervention and to press for increased provision
of specialist teaching and therapy. The Group's chair
is John Bercow, MP. The Royal College of Speech and
Language Therapists provide secretariat for the Group
- contact Jane Mackenzie. For more information visit
www.publications.parliament.uk/
The RCSLT bulletin has reported that the National
Award for Allied Health Professionals and Health Scientists,
2006 has been awarded to two Northumberland-based workers.
SLT Nicola Head and Language Development worker (LDW)
Julia Hardy, based in Sure Start Bedlington and District
Children's Centre won the award for promoting health
and wellbeing in hard-to-reach communities.
Originally set up in 2003, the LDW service provides
preventative work and a value added service for children
aged 0-5 years with or at risk of speech and language
delay or difficulties. Sure Start SLTs supervise language
development work, with LDWs being a integral part of
both the community speech and language therapy and children's
centre teams.
The RCSLT bulletin report also highlighted
the benefit to families in Bedlington from regular visits
by a LDW to provide and demonstrate strategies to empower
them to develop their child's communication skills.
(RCSLT bulletin, February 2007)
The Guardian has reported on the new curriculum
for the early years, which was published on March 13th
2007. Children's progress will be monitored against
69 government-set 'early learning goals'.
Every nursery, childminder and reception class in Britain
will have to follow the Early Years foundation curriculum
which comes into effect from September 2008 and replaces
non-statutory guidance already in place. Any care providers
wishing to opt out of the new requirements, for example,
because their educational philosophy introduces reading
at a later age will have to apply for exemption. They
would also forfeit any state funding.
The Guardian reported that the DfES says that
the framework is a means of ensuring high standards
of early education and care, which will reassure parents
that their child's development is being supported, no
matter what form of child-care or pre-school education
they use.
The Guardian quoted Beverley Hughes, the children's
minister who said the framework document was intended
to make sure nursery staff adopt a 'rigorous approach'. "The children's experience will be free, it will
be based on play, it will be rich” Ms Hughes said.
“But the professionals behind that are required
to have a thinking approach to the care of other people’s
children."
The framework was broadly welcomed by childcare groups,
however they warned that government rules stating that
one member of staff can look after up to 13 children
aged three and over, could jeopardise close observation
of children's development.
Steve Alexander, chief executive of the Pre-school
Learning Alliance was also quoted in the article and
said, "We retain our strong view that the staff
to child ratio of 1:13…is too low and should be
1:8. This point has particular pertinence, given the
framework stipulates that assessments through the foundation
stage take the form of observation via 'look, listen
and note'."
(Guardian, 14.03.07)
Find out more here
about the EYFS
The Chancellor's recent announcement in his pre-budget
speech indicated that by 2010, £10.2 billion will
be spent on schools, colleges and university buildings,
facilities and equipment. In the next four years alone,
the government's goal includes 12,000 new or completely
refurbished schools – half of all primary schools
and 90% of all secondary schools. This investment endorses
the importance of the physical environment in supporting
learning. Research indicates, however, that creating
optimum conditions for learning is not just about massive
investment in building programmes. A re-think of how
practitioners create and use the learning spaces within
buildings is long overdue.
Last year, the Basic Skills Agency commissioned education
consultant Elizabeth Jarman to investigate the role
that the physical environment can play in improving
speaking and listening skills.
(Basic Skills newsletter Feb/March 2007)
The RCSLT bulletin reported on the Walkie Talkie label, launched by TTYB to help parents choose buggies that are pusher-facing to aide communication.
The article highlighed the survey undertaken by TTYB in 2005 which showed the support of parents and professionals for more affordable pusher-facing buggies, to enable them to use this time to communicate and talk with toddlers.
(RCSLT bulletin, March 2007)
Nursery World has reported that the recent
survey by Ofsted in the Foundation Stage has found that
children are not doing as well as expected in one-third
of settings in the early learning goals for communication,
language and literacy.
It also reported that girls did better than boys in
all areas of learning. Ofsted inspectors visited 144
early years settings including private nurseries, children's
centres, primary schools, nursery schools and special
schools and evaluated the quality of provision for children
aged three to five, standards and achievements and local
authority support to settings.
The article highlighted that in the settings where the
standards in communications, language and literacy were
lower, the support for children just starting to learn
English as an additional language was inadequate. Local
authorities were generally not ready to support refugee
and asylum-seeker families.
Ofsted have said the findings provide a baseline to
measure the success of the Early Years Foundation Stage
when it is implemented in September 2008.
(Nursery World, 08.03.07)
Read a summary of the Ofsted
report
An article featured in Speech and Language Therapy in Practice, highlighted the launch of the Walkie Talkie label. It outlined that the buggy campaign is calling for manufacturers to make sociable buggies more widely available. It quoted the support of Speech and Language therapist Professor James Law who is supporting the campaign.
(Speech and Language Therapy in Practice, Spring 2007)
More than 40 per cent of health visitor training places
have been cut in England this year, according to a healthcare
trade union.
Amicus/Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association (CPHVA) surveyed 43 higher education institutions
and over three quarters responded after they invoked
the Freedom of Information Act. The union found that
the number of health visitors trained in 2006-07 was
329, dropping from 554 in 2005-06, despite about 800
applications for places. There was also a 10 per cent
fall in school nurses training and a 51 per cent drop
in training places for district nurses.
The union is blaming the drop on strategic health authorities
commissioning fewer courses and deficits in local primary
care trusts. Cheryll Adams, professional officer at
Amicus/CPHVA, said, 'Part of the current trend
is that health visitors have been put into team working
where they are expected to manage with less senior staff
and therefore save money. One real concern is that there
has been a lot of skill-mixing with nursery nurses,
where nursery nurses are being asked to do inappropriate
work, such as assessing the mental health needs of mothers.'
She said an initial survey of institutions last summer
received a poor response. 'There was an element
of fear, with the thinking, if we go public with the
cuts then maybe we won’t get any funds at all.
What came out of the survey was that the actual number
of applicants was good, the problem was funding.'
Amicus/CPHVA director Karen Reay said, 'These
dramatic cuts in health visitor training are seriously
sabotaging the Government’s public health programme.
Ministers need to ensure that funds for health visitor
and school nurse training are ring-fenced – it
is that simple.'
(Nursery World, 15.02.07)
I couldn't agree more with Lucy McDonald's article
on prams. I loved having my son Max facing me so that
I could chatter away to him. I very reluctantly turned
him around when he reached 12 months because he spent
the entire time craning his neck round the hood to see
what was going on in front. I knew I had lost him then!
(The Times, 10.02.07)
Should toddlers face in or out in a pushchair?
Lucy McDonald says she wants to see and talk to her
daughter.
Most of the unsolicited advice my mother-in-law gave
me when I was pregnant with my first child, now 1, was
utterly useless. Despite her best intentions, childcare
has changed a lot since she was first a mum, so each
time another “pearl of wisdom” fell from
her lips I would feign a look of utmost interest while
disregarding the information immediately.
However, on one aspect she was completely right. She
insisted that I buy a pushchair that faced me - like
the prams of her day - so that I could see and talk
to my baby, and for that I am truly grateful. The National
Literacy Trust (NLT) claims that buggies which face
away from carers can hamper a child’s communication
skills. According to its research, 90 per cent of nursery
workers are worried that speech difficulties among preschoolers
are increasing, and this is partly because parents do
not talk to their children enough. In a new campaign
the NLT, talktoyourbaby.org.uk, is calling for increased
awareness of the benefits of parent-facing buggies,
which allow parents to see and talk to their children.
Liz Attenborough, an NLT spokeswoman says: "We
live in a buggy culture. In the old days as soon as
a child could walk they did, but nowadays you see buggies
with children of 3 or 4 in them. I think it’s
because parents are worried about safety but it mean
that there’s less interaction. Forward-facing
buggies have been identified by early-years professionals
as one of the factors believed to be contributing to
the poor communication skills of children entering nursery
and school."
Language and child development experts agree. Professor
James Law, of Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh,
says: "There is nothing sadder than watching parents
pushing buggies, perhaps wearing headphones, completely
cut off from their child. The buggy that faces towards
the parent provides them with opportunities for interaction."
The first year of life is critical for language development
and everything from a child’s first smile (around
2 months) to the perpetual babbling that precedes their
first words (around 12 to 18 months) is learnt from
watching and listening to other people. Jane Mackenzie,
of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists,
says: "Evidence shows that for language to develop
well in the early years babies need lots of communication
with other people. They learn from imitation, listening
and eye contact, and so the more you chat and involve
your child the quicker they’ll learn."
Heeding my mother-in-law’s advice I bought a
reversible pushchair called a Bugaboo. Excluding cars
and houses, at £500 it is the most expensive object
I own (it even merits a special mention on the household
insurance), but of all my baby paraphernalia it has
been the best investment. It starts off as a carrycot,
then converts into a reversible pushchair that can face
in and out.
Although there is no official advice, most owners of
reversible buggies face their children for the first
six months or so and then expose them to the world at
large. But my daughter Elizabeth looked at me until
she was 11 months old. Yes, I know the poor thing, having
to see my ugly mug day in, day out, but I enjoyed talking
to her and thought that interaction was more beneficial
than the view of strangers’ knees. I turned her
around only after peer pressure persuaded me that I
was indulging my need to see her cute podgy face and
not hers to see what was going on around her. For those
first 11 months we went everywhere in her buggy: the
park, museums, art galleries. Not only could I see if
she was asleep, needed her nose blowing or if her blanket
had slipped, but it meant that we constantly talked
about everything from what we ate for breakfast, to
the weather and the latest fashions and films. Well,
OK, I gabbled away and she just smiled or snoozed.
Just before Elizabeth’s first birthday I reluctantly
turned her to face outwards. She had just started to
mimic the intonations in my voice but as I could no
longer see her I stopped talking to her and she stopped
babbling back. Trips out became boring.
Deborah Lawson, of the Professional Association of Nursery
Nurses, says parents should not worry if they have only
a forward-facing buggy as there are plenty of other
opportunities to talk to your child. She says: "What
is important is interacting with your child whenever
you can."
A survey conducted by the NLT found that nearly 90
per cent of parents would talk to their baby more if
their buggy faced them and the only reason for not choosing
a reversible buggy was the higher price. Since I bought
mine a year ago manufacturers have responded to the
greater demand and they are cheaper. Bebe Confort’s
Loola, for example, retails at £229 in John Lewis.
Like most first-time mothers I err on the side of neurosis
when it comes to Elizabeth’s safety. If I see
a juggernaut half a mile away I immediately imagine
it jack-knifing on her head and although logically the
direction she is facing will provide no protection against
ten tonnes of flying steel, psychologically I feel safer
when she faces inwards and is sheltered by me.
Nicola Pharoah, who used a reversible pushchair with
her first child, two-year-old Billy, agrees: “When
in a busy high street I always had Billy facing me.
I thought it protected him from rushing people and flying
objects. As a new mother you always think something
is going to happen to your baby and it just felt safer
that way.” This is the unique selling point of
the Stokke Xplory (www.xplory.com, from £499),
which elevates children above most vehicles’ exhaust
pipes to where, the manufacturer claims, the air is
purer, although there is no research to back this.
Following on from reports in the press last week about
an American study highlighting the danger of traffic
pollution on infant health, Stephen Holgate, Professor
of Immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton,
has received letters from parents worried about children
in buggies being exposed to toxic pollutants. He is
starting to research whether their exposure exceeds
air-quality standards, which are currently measured
from between 6ft and 8ft from the ground. "The
UK has the highest prevalence of wheezing illnesses
in the world, especially in children. Buggies are at
the exact height of car exhausts so when a child is
pushed along the pavement he or she gets the full impact
of toxic emissions that can damage the lining of the
lungs."
According to research by the NLT, on average babies
sit in pushchairs for between half an hour and two hours
a day, so while it would be easy to make forward-facing
buggies the scapegoat for children’s slower linguistic
development it is a small part of a much wider problem.
Mackenzie says we must teach parents how to communicate
properly with their children. "We can’t
just blame it all on buggies. Parents can do more, like
expand their children’s words and use a rich vocabulary.
People think TV is a form of communication, but it’s
no replacement for direct conversation," she says.
I have now turned Elizabeth back to face me in her
buggy, and our day trips have resumed in both frequency
and intimacy. I talk to her constantly and although
she has yet to utter a word, I am sure I will have her
reciting Proust - in French obviously - before the year
is out.
How to buy a buggy
Try before you buy Push lots of buggies around the store
and practise putting them up and down. Look for one-handed
folding where you don’t have to detach accessories.
Weight and portability are are key.
Two types Buggies can be broken down into those that
fold into "umbrellas" shapes, or travel
systems, which include carry cots and car seats. If
you drive you’d be better off with a travel system,
which is heavier. But if you use the bus you’d
be better off buying a more portable buggy such as the
Maclaren Techno (£168).
Handles - choose those that turn inward to support the
wrist in a natural position and make pushing comfortable.
Bugaboo It's John Lewis' biggest seller.
It faces both ways and is suitable from birth.
Advice from Sonia Burke, John Lewis's Nursery
adviser, Oxford Street, London, and Which? www.which.co.uk
(The Times, 03.02.07)
Pushing your child in a front-facing stroller may let
him take in the view. But it won’t do much for
his speech according to experts.
Toddlers' communication skills can suffer when
they cannot see the person pushing their pram they believe.
Children learn to talk more quickly when they are face
to face with their parents or carers. Most pushchairs
and strollers, however have forward-facing seats. Those
with rear-facing seats are usually more expensive.
The National Literacy Trust which wants parents to
encourage their children’s speech development,
has called on manufacturers and retailers to cut the
price of rear-facing pushchairs and prams. Many parents
struggle to find such designs when shopping for a buggy,
according to a survey carried out for the charity.
Liz Attenborough, who is in charge of the trust’s
Talk To Your Baby campaign said: 'Forward –facing
buggies have been identified by early years professionals
as one of the factors believed to be contributing to
the poor communication skills of children entering nursery
and school. We want affordable, sociable pusher-facing
buggies to be available to parents so that they can
chat and respond to their toddlers.'
Language experts believe adults communicating with
children at a young age helps them develop their language
and social skills.
Kamini Gadhok, chief executive of the Royal College
of Speech and Language Therapists, said: 'By facing
a child when pushing them in a pram or buggy, parents
and carers will increase eye contact and have more opportunities
to stimulate talking at an important stage in the development
of a child's language abilities.'
James Law, professor of language and communication
science at Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh
added: 'There is nothing sadder than watching
parents pushing buggies, perhaps wearing headphones,
completely cut off from their child. The buggy which
faces towards the parent provides the parent with all
sorts of opportunities for interaction, making the trip
all that more enjoyable for both parties.'
As part of the campaign, the trust has unveiled a 'walkie
talkie' label which pinpoints those pushchairs
that offer parents and children the best chance of communicating.
The trust found only four buggies below £300
with the option for rear-facing seats. The cheapest
was Mothercare’s Rococo 2-in-1 pushchair at £179.
(Daily Mail, 25.01.07)
When children's language skills are poor, getting everyone
involved can work wonders.
Tonia Vernon has been to a number of toddler groups,
so she's in a good position to judge the different experience
children are getting when they come to St John's church
in Burslem, Stoke on Trent. "All too often, mums
treat these occasions as an opportunity for socialising
while the kids play," she says, "but not here
- the chairs lining the room are gone and the message
is clear: we are there for the children."
"The focus is on maximising the mums' interactions
with their youngsters," explains the group's voluntary
leader, Lydia Palmer. "The sessions are very structured
and include singing and craft activities and the collective
reading of a picture book, with time given for the mums
to practise talking about each page with their child
- however young." The approach is just one manifestation
of the work of Stoke Speaks Out (SSO) - a multi-agency
project that aims to tackle the high levels of language
delay affecting the city's children as they enter primary
education.
Valuable interaction
"Back in 2001, there was a lot of anecdotal evidence
that Stoke's children were hitting reception age with
very limited language skills," recalls SSO project
leader Janet Cooper. Sure Start money was used to carry
out a systematic study in 10 nurseries testing the youngsters'
vocabulary and comprehension. "The results confirmed
our worst fears," says Cooper. "In some of
the settings, 80% of the children had significant language
delay sufficient to undermine their educational progress
- the average was well over one in two."
Ask anyone concerned with SSO and certain key explanations
for this phenomenon crop up time and again: the prolonged
use of dummies, "electronic childminding"
via TV or computer games, forward-facing buggies, the
decline in family mealtimes and even the reduction of
children's opportunities for play and basic language
skills growth in the early school years. At the time
of the first SSO children's study, parallel research
among Stoke's parents highlighted serious misunderstandings
about child development and the essential role they
could play in stimulating language acquisition.
A number of priorities emerged from that research
- the most important of which was to forge a multi-agency
response. Peter Taylor, Stoke's deputy director of children
and young people's services, says: "Our health
colleagues reminded us that to make lasting changes
we needed to go back further to support our parents
in building better, more attached relationships with
their children."
The SSO team set about devising a tiered training
programme ranging from sessions designed to raise basic
awareness through to a level 2 SSO course requiring
participants to initiate some sort of project likely
to build the language skills of children in their orbit.
The first training began in January 2005 and since then
it has reached over 2,000 Stoke practitioners.
"Everyone here both in teaching and support roles
had the level 1 training," says Jacqueline Brown,
headteacher of Grange nursery school in Meir, south
Stoke. "Then our staff formed a level 2 group devising
in-house interventions, including improving the opportunities
children have for listening, developing parents' workshops
aimed at reducing their use of dummies and building
their attachment to their children. The benefits are
already being felt."
Structured approach
SSO has also championed and modelled the use of Ann
Locke's One Step At a Time programme in 12 schools across
the authority, with plans to roll it out to a further
18 by September. "This is a highly structured and
effective approach to language acquisition," explains
advisory headteacher Michelle Johnstone, who spends
time seconded to SSO each week. "Stoke is the only
authority to be piloting the approach on such a scale."
Stoke has continued to monitor the impact of its work
by conducting speech and language assessments. "We
are definitely seeing an improvement," says SSO
project coordinator Michael Convey. "However, while
a drop in the number of children entering reception
classes with language delay from 69% in 2001 to 63%
is gratifying, it suggests we still have major problems
in the city, compared to the 50% national average of
children with 'impoverished' speech as identified in
the recent iCan report published in October."
"SSO is proof-positive of the benefit of a multi-agency
approach to the problem," says Mary Hartsthorne,
author of the iCan report, which features the project
as one of its main good-practice case studies. "What
SSO underlines is the value of gaining the support of
the top players locally," says Liz Attenborough
of the Talk to Your Baby campaign, "and their bravery
in thinking long-term. Stoke's GCSE results or youth
disaffection may be causes for concern now, but here
is an initiative that really looks at the underlying
causes and seeks to put them right in the future."
(Extracted from an article by Jerome Monahan,
Guardian, 09.01.07)
An awareness campaign to encourage parents and early
years workers to talk more with children under two is
developing training for early years practitioners one
year after it started.
'Tune into Babies - Talk Together' was launched by
Birmingham City Council's Flying Start early years team
and the South Birmingham Sure Start Speech and Language
therapy team.
Training for early years workers is now in development
backed by council funding.
Linda Mathews, Flying Start manager, said, 'We'd like
our programme to be incorporated into existing training
and embedded into practice. I think private and voluntary
provision is potentially one of our biggest client backgrounds,
because it will probably be newer to them. In the future
we really want to link it to the Early Years Foundation
Stage, and to turn Tune into Babies into Tune into Children
and Families as well'.
(Extracted from Nursery World 04.01.07)
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