Nationwide campaign goes live to help improve children’s early language
The DfE have launched new online resources to promote the importance of the home learning environment (HLE) in boosting children’s language and socio-emotional development in the early years.
A new campaign from the Department for Education, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Social Care’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), has launched to improve childhood early language and help to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers.
Some of the most disadvantaged children in the UK start school months behind their peers and the gap can grow through their school years and into their adult life. This issue has further increased during the pandemic, with a rise in the number of children starting school with language skills poorer than would have been expected prior.
The campaign aims to encourage parents and carers to chat, play and read more with their children to develop their communication, language and literacy skills before starting school. The aim is to empower parents and help them overcome the key barriers they face, such as lack of time, confidence and not knowing the types of activities they should be doing.
The reality is that these activities take little time, can happen anywhere and can be easily integrated into a daily routine. All the little things parents do with their child – like everyday conversations, make-believe play and reading together – make a big difference to their development. And, ultimately, it is as rewarding for parents and carers as it is for their children.
The main objective of the campaign will be to encourage parents for search ‘Start for Life’ or visit the Start for Life online hub, where they can find ideas of activities to do with their children, and explore where to find further support in their local area..
The new webpages provide a full range of evidence-based, detailed – yet accessible – advice for parents on activities they can do with children at every stage between birth and 5 years old, and a search facility to connect them to local support. The launch has also been accompanied by a family-facing campaign focused on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and is supported by materials designed for stakeholders to promote the campaign to local families. The matierial includes posters, social media text and imagery, email signatures, images for webpages and much more.
If you would like more information on the resources or how you can get involved in the campaign, please contact HLE.COALITION@education.gov.uk
