Play and Early Learning
It's child play!
Play is vital for children. Babies and young children learn and develop through play. Singing songs, reading together, playing games and having fun with friends gives them a head start. This helps their confidence, so they can handle what life brings them.
Using the Early Years Foundation Stage we consider,
A unique child
Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Positive relationships
Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.
Enabling environments
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children's development and learning.
Learning and development
Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected.
Every Child Matters
Sure Start Children Centres are the Government's programme to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support.
Every Child Matters is a new approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19.
The Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:
This means that the organisations involved with providing services to children - from hospitals and schools, to police and voluntary groups - are teaming up in new ways, sharing information and working together, to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life. Children and young people now have far more say about issues that affect them as individuals and collectively.
The Every Child Matters agenda has been further developed through publication of the Children's Plan in December 2007. The Children's Plan is a ten-year strategy to make England the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up.
Full Core Offer
All Sure Start Children's Centres are required to offer a minimum level of service to the community. These compulsory services are referred to as the 'Full Core Offer' and are set out by the government. A brief outline of these services is below:
Sure Start Children's Centres in the most disadvantaged areas will offer the following services:
In more advantaged areas, although local authorities will have flexibility in which services they provide to meet local need, all Sure Start Children's Centres will have to provide a minimum range of services including:
For further information on the Full Core Offer please click here
Play is vital for children. Babies and young children learn and develop through play. Singing songs, reading together, playing games and having fun with friends gives them a head start. This helps their confidence, so they can handle what life brings them.
Using the Early Years Foundation Stage we consider,
A unique child
Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Positive relationships
Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.
Enabling environments
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children's development and learning.
Learning and development
Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected.
Every Child Matters
Sure Start Children Centres are the Government's programme to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support.
Every Child Matters is a new approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19.
The Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:
- be healthy
- stay safe
- enjoy and achieve
- make a positive contribution
- achieve economic well being
This means that the organisations involved with providing services to children - from hospitals and schools, to police and voluntary groups - are teaming up in new ways, sharing information and working together, to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life. Children and young people now have far more say about issues that affect them as individuals and collectively.
The Every Child Matters agenda has been further developed through publication of the Children's Plan in December 2007. The Children's Plan is a ten-year strategy to make England the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up.
Full Core Offer
All Sure Start Children's Centres are required to offer a minimum level of service to the community. These compulsory services are referred to as the 'Full Core Offer' and are set out by the government. A brief outline of these services is below:
Sure Start Children's Centres in the most disadvantaged areas will offer the following services:
- good quality early learning combined with full day care provision for children (minimum 10 hours a day, 5 days a week,48 weeks a year)
- good quality teacher input to lead the development of learning within the centre
- child and family health services, including ante-natal services
- parental outreach
- family support services
- a base for a childminder network
- support for children and parents with special needs, and
- effective links with Jobcentre Plus to support parents/carers who wish to consider training or employment.
In more advantaged areas, although local authorities will have flexibility in which services they provide to meet local need, all Sure Start Children's Centres will have to provide a minimum range of services including:
- appropriate support and outreach services to parents/carers and children who have been identified as in need of them
- information and advice to parents/carers on a range of subjects, including: local childcare, looking after babies and young children, local early years provision (childcare and early learning) education services for 3 & 4 year olds
- support to childminders
- drop-in sessions and other activities for children and carers at the centre
- links to Jobcentre Plus services.
For further information on the Full Core Offer please click here
