Have you heard of The Early Language Development Programme (ELDP)?

The Department for Education has identified language development as a priority and as such has invested in the Early Language Development Programme (ELDP) ensuring that there is central support for training in this key area. The programme is running from February 2012 until April 2014.

The key objective for the Early Language Development Programme over the next three years is to work with Children’s Centres to provide support to embed early language development practices, and to establish them as local leaders. The programme is focusing on strategies to improve practitioners’ learning and skills in early identification and intervention and encourage partnership working with other early years settings, speech and language therapists and health visitors.

The programme is focusing on all children especially targeting work with 0-2 year olds, their families and those living in the most disadvantaged areas.

As a result of engagement in the programme, practitioners will be equipped to provide an accurate early years summary of a child’s development between the ages of 24-36 months to parents (i.e. they will have sufficient knowledge and skills around the importance of language development and be able to identify language delay at its earliest point in a child), as well as the skills to support language development at this early stage.

Deborah Fielden and I are the leads for our areas Children’s Centres for the Early Language Development Programme, which means we have an exciting opportunity to impact on early language development in our local community whilst also building their capacity to meet government targets and outcomes in relation to language development and school readiness.

The Early Language Development Programme will provide us with a training package which we will cascade  to a local network of other local children’s centres, health visitors and local speech and language therapists who ultimately cascade to the parents, families and children who use the children’s centre and other local services.


We are also happy to talk to private providers about training for their settings or courses which supplement the ELDP.

www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk

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Looking for a gift with real meaning?

For just £15, I CAN, the children's communication charity is giving you the chance to give a little bit of the English language to someone special. They'll also send you an adoption pack for you to wrap up and put under the Christmas tree.

Find a word to give as gift or create your own

And the best part: all proceeds are used to help children who struggle to find the words they need make friends and progress at school. For children with speech and language problems, the right help can make a huge difference to their well-being and their future prospects. This Christmas please give a gift of words and help change the story of a child's life.

1 word will provide a family with a DVD giving them advice and support,  2 will help them respond to a worried parent by phone, while 5 will help a child receive one-to-one support from a speech and language therapist.

Go to www.adoptaword.com to adopt a word now

I've chosen the word 'PERSEVERENCE' as my word as that's we need so much of to make a difference both in life and in therapy situations. What will you choose??

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Make up a word

Ever chillax in a nifty gaff?

Tell Afasic your favourite made up word and support the Afasic 'My Word' challenge
Children's communication charity Afasic is asking thousands of schools to support their 'My Word' challenge. Pupils can choose a word that they use on a regular basis that's made up or not currently in the dictionary, write it on the 'My Word' postcard and explain what it means to them. The aim is to have fun, start a conversation and increase children's understanding of communication.

Postcards are then sent back to Afasic who will produce a booklet from all the postcards they receive to share during the national year of communication. All pupils can take part in the fundraising activity and all participating schools will receive a certificate from Afasic's President and Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP.

To download your postcard please click here or contact Afasic on 0207 490 9410 or emd@afasic.org.uk for further information.

Closing date for entries is Monday 4 July.

To find out more about Afasic's work and the Handbook they have recently produced with I CAN about specific language impairment, please clickhere.