"...an easy-to-read evaluation of a trailblazer local programme... packed with helpful information such as pointers for the future, pie charts and parents' stories (not translated into dry 'research' speak)... It renewed my passion and reminded me why I got involved in Sure Start in the first place" Nursery World “This book demonstrates the key strength of Sure Start, its breadth of vision… It shows how with the right effort, statutory and voluntary organisations can work side by side. It also shows how important it is to engage local people in finding solutions, blending professional and community support to strengthen both… Learning from Sure Start is a significant contribution to the evidence base on what works for young children and families.”Naomi Eisenstadt, Director, Sure Start Unit
Sure Start, an exciting initiative in early childhood care and education with families in the UK, has been developing new forms of community-focused early interventions, with the aim of having all children ‘ready to flourish’ when they start school.
This book, the first of its kind, is the result of a close collaboration between one local programme and a university over a five year period. The contributors all have first hand experience as practitioners or researchers in the Sure Start programme at Foxhill & Parson Cross in Sheffield, which has provided a wide range of new services. Contributors:
- Describe various services within health, education and social welfare
- Examine implications of the development of inter-agency theory and practice for planning and delivery of services for children
- Evaluate methods that were employed
- Identify what worked and what didn’t
- Indicate lessons that can be drawn from experience
This is indispensable reading for students of early childhood and early years practitioners, policy makers, and researchers.
Table of Contents:
Foreword: Naomi Eisenstadt, Director of Sure Start, Department for Education & Skills Contributors
List of abbreviations
Part One: Introduction1Why we should learn from Sure Start
Peter Hannon & Linda Fox 2Listening to families: a survey of parents' views
Jo Weinberger
Part Two: Improving and emotional development 3 Family Support
Jo Weinberger 4 ‘Connecting with our kids’ parenting programme
Margaret Drake with Jo Weinberger and Peter Hannon
5 Meeting the needs of teenage parents
Deborah Crofts
Part Three: Improving health 6Low birth weight - exploring the contribution of nutrition
Fiona Ford 7Supporting breast feeding mothers
Sue Battersby
8The impact of Sure Start on health visiting
Ann Rowe
9Child Safety Scheme
Robin Carlisle
Part Four: Improving children’s ability to learn 10Quality of play and learning opportunities
Simon Martinez 11Community teaching in a Sure Start context
Jackie Marsh and Jan Forde
12Screening and language development
Caroline Pickstone
13Media, popular culture and young children
Jackie Marsh
14A dialogic reading intervention programme for parents and preschoolers
Anne Morgan
Part Five: Strengthening families and communities 15Community involvement
Helen Lomas & Peter Hannon
16The Young Families’ Advice Service
Imogen Hale
17Community research
Jo Weinberger
Part Six: What have we learned? What do we need to know? 18Bringing it together: the role of the programme manager
Linda Fox, programme manager, talks to the editors 19 Looking to the future
Peter Hannon,Caroline Pickstone, Jo Weinberger & Linda Fox
Appendices Appendix 1 List of Sure Start services Appendix 2 Interview schedule for survey of parents of 4-year-olds, condensed version
Index
