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Grow and Learn - your guide to school readiness from 0-5 years

We have put together some useful information to help parents, carers and families from birth to five years old, to support their children’s communication development and learn how to help their children gain the best start to life through playful learning at home, good health and nutrition and where you can get help if you need it.

There is a range of ideas, top tips and games to support children’s language, physical and emotional development. Its aim is to ensure children start school ready to explore, learn and make friends.

Grow and Learn 0 - 2 years

Grow and Learn 2 - 5 years

Bump to Birth

Appointments

Midwife appointments

Our Children’s Centre’s have antenatal and postnatal midwife clinics where parents to be are monitored throughout their pregnancy and following birth by our Community Midwives. These are run on an appointment only basis. Community midwives provide antenatal care for expectant mothers, care in labour for homebirths and postnatal care. The community midwife will usually be the first person you meet along your pregnancy journey. She will complete your booking appointment taking all your history and planning your individualised care pathway.

You can self-refer yourself as soon as you know you are pregnant by completing the online referral form, please see the link below. 

www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/Maternity-Services

Maternity

If you are concerned at any time about your pregnancy or new born baby, contact a dedicated 24-hour Maternity Helpline which is available seven days a week.

Telephone - 01708 503742

https://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/maternity-services

Getting ready for baby

Antenatal classes are delivered by the community midwifes but currently due to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), in order to keep pregnant women safe, they have taken the decision to cancel all antenatal education at Queen’s Hospital and all community locations until further notice.  

Information to assist you in your journey to parenthood until this service is re-instated can be found on the link below.

www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/Maternity-Services

A Specialist Stop Smoking Service for pregnant women, or anyone normally living in the same household as a pregnant woman is available in Havering.

This is a free specialist service especially for you. Please speak to your midwife or contact the Stop Smoking Service for Pregnant Women on 020 8724 8018.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/smoking-pregnant/

E-Red book

We encourage you to use eRedbook to record healthcare information about you child. This is a digital version of the Redbook given to you and all parents. 

A paper version is still provided but the e-Redbook provides online access to:

  • Antenatal advice and information
  • timelines and reminders about screenings, health reviews and immunisations
  • growth measurements and charts
  • information and advice on a child’s developmental ‘firsts’ (feeding, moving, words and so on)
  • tailored advice and information by age and location

You can add photos and your own notes, including antenatal records. In addition, you will be able to share access with members of your family and, if you choose, health professionals.

e-Redbook receives the following records direct from your GP or health visitor:

  • Initial birth notification details
  • New-born screening test results
  • Immunisations records
  • Health checks
  • If you have any queries about eRedbook, contact your named midwife or health visitor. 

Support Services before and after 

Health Visitor

Following the birth of your baby, you can contact a Health Visitor in regards to the health and development of your baby.

Telephone – 0300 300 1635

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/services-havering-health-visiting/

Development

Your health visitor will carry out a new baby review within 10-14 days of birth and talk to you about feeding your baby, becoming a parent and how you can help your baby to grow up healthily.

Your GP will carry out a full health review when your baby is 6-8 weeks old. This is a good opportunity to talk about any concerns you have and ask for any information you need. 

The NHS Birth to Five development timeline outlines the milestones in your child’s development. 

Action for Children has produced a useful guide explaining ‘What to expect, when?’ in relation to your baby’s learning and development.

First Steps Nutrition Trust-is an independent public health nutrition charity that provides information and resources to support eating well from pre-conception to five years.

https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/

Mental Health Support

Perinatal Infant Mental Health Service – Support and treatment for parents during pregnancy and following the birth of their baby who are experiencing mental health problems.

Telephone – 0300 555 1119

Email - Perinatal.Service@nelft.nhs.uk

Butterflies Peer Support Group – Supporting families who are experiencing low mood, depression and anxiety during pregnancy or following the birth of their baby. Telephone support and weekly Zoom group available. Please contact butterflies@havering.gov.uk for more information.

Talking Therapies – Treatments and services helping those feeling distressed by difficult events in their lives as well as people concerning their mental health. For more information or to request support please contact

Telephone - 0300 300 1554 opt 2

or complete the online self-referral by visiting https://www.talkingtherapies.nelft.nhs.uk/havering

Havering Mind – Supporting anyone living in Havering who would like support with their mental health and well-being.

https://www.haveringmind.org.uk/

Telephone – 01708 457040

Email – reach.us@haveringmind.org.uk

Mental Health Direct – For anyone who needs immediate support and advice in regards to their mental health and to speak to a trained mental health professional, in operation 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Telephone – 0300 555 1000

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/i-need-help/

Domestic Abuse Support

Havering Woman’s Aid – Havering Women's Aid provides specialist assistance to male and female victims of domestic abuse whether it be physical, emotional, sexual, financial or elder abuse. 

Telephone – 01708 728759

https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/

Telephone – 0808 2000 247

https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/

Support and information for Fathers

Useful links:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/dad-to-be-pregnant-partner/

https://www.nct.org.uk/life-parent/bonding-and-caring-for-your-baby/how-can-dads-bond-their-baby

https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/pregnancy-and-baby/becoming-a-dad/

Useful websites for pregnancy and following the birth of your baby

Baby buddy app - https://www.bestbeginnings.org.uk/baby-buddy

Start 4 life pregnancy and beyond information and advice - https://www.nhs.uk/start4life

First Steps Nutrition provides information, recipes and more during pregnancy https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/eating-well-in-pregnancy

Healthy start vouchers and vitamins - https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/

Unicef baby friendly - https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/

Tommy’s pregnancy support - https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy

Institute of health visiting top tips for parents https://ihv.org.uk/families/top-tips/

Perinatal anxiety and worry support -  https://www.openpaws.co.uk/

Still birth and neonatal charity - https://www.sands.org.uk/

Speech, language and communication

You might feel a little bit self-conscious singing to your belly in pregnancy, but there are a lot of reasons to give it a go.

For a start, your baby can hear your voice from only a matter of weeks into pregnancy, which is pretty amazing. Find out more about the benefits of singing and talking to your bump.

See nd hear more on this link Tiny Happy People

Diet/nutrition 

Local and National Breastfeeding Support

Havering Latch-On – Providing peer support and information about breastfeeding. Video support and telephone support available.

Email – info@latchon.org.uk

Website: https://www.latchon.org.uk/

La Leche League – Providing support and information about breastfeeding. Video and telephone support available.

Email – kathryn.kelleher@btinternet.com

https://www.laleche.org.uk/supportgroup/la-leche-league-brentwood-havering/

 Breastfeeding Network – Providing support and information about breastfeeding. Telephone support and live chat support available 7 days a week, 9.30am – 9.30pm.

Telephone – 0300 100 0212

https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/contact-us/helplines/

Infant Feeding Café – Trained Infant feeding advisors are available to provide support and information on breastfeeding, expressing and formula feeding your baby. Telephone support and weekly Zoom group available. Please contact childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk for more information.

 Starting Solids

As your baby gets a little older and is ready to be weaned the Introducing Solid Foods workshops will provide you with advice, guidance, menus and tips for helping your baby move to solid foods. The workshop is co-delivered with a Health Visitor and an Early Years Practitioner. Please contact childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk for more information.

 

First Year

Appointments

Immunisations

In line with NHS England guidance, you should still attend routine childhood immunisation appointments during this period. If your child is due their vaccine, please book the required appointments but do not attend if your family is in self-isolation at the time of the appointment or has symptoms. You can call your local GP practice or health clinic to confirm that your child’s immunisation appointment is still going ahead or for reassurance. You can find out when your child needs to have their vaccines and how to book an appointment on the NHS website.

Speech, language and communication 

Playing with your baby 

Online Stories - by Baby Club (CBeebies), where parents, carers and their babies can play, sing and listen to stories together. Get comfy and join in the fun from your sofa.

Online Activities - by Hungry Little Minds Simple, fun activities for kids, from newborn to five.

Even at this young age, babies can be active!  Start4Life explains how, even before your baby begins to crawl, you can encourage physical activity through reaching and grasping, pulling and pushing and moving their head, body and limbs.  From 3 months you can encourage tummy time by laying your baby on his/her tummy, little and often to start with, to help with development of the muscles needed for sitting and crawling. 

Diet/nutrition 

The Department of Health recommends that all children aged 6 months to 5 years are given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day. https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby/baby-vitamins/

The Institute of Health Visiting gives expert advice on key areas of looking after your new baby from when they are born to when they go to school. https://ihv.org.uk/families/top-tips/--

 

First Steps Nutrition provides a comprehensive guide to eating well in the first year of life, breaking down food and portion size ideas for 0-7 months, 7-9 months and 10-12 months.

 

Henry (Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young) Healthy Start Brighter Futurehttps://www.henry.org.uk/parents

The Henry Healthy Families Programme is for parents and carers of children 0-5 years old. It is free to join and helps you give your child the best possible start in life. For more information please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Oral health

It’s important to get your baby in to good dental care habits early on.  You can start brushing your baby’s teeth as soon as teeth appear, or even gently brush their gums before that.

It is a good idea to take your baby to the dentist with you to get them used to the sights, sounds and smells. This will make them less likely to be scared of visiting the dentist later on. 

Support Services

Online support provided by Havering Children’s Centres

Butterflies Peer Support Group – Supporting families who are experiencing low mood, depression and anxiety during pregnancy or following the birth of their baby. Telephone support and weekly Zoom group available. Please contact butterflies@havering.gov.uk for more information.

 

Infant Feeding Café – Trained Infant feeding advisors are available to provide support and information on breastfeeding, bottle feeding, expressing, formula feeding your baby. Telephone support and weekly Zoom group available. Please contact childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk for more information.

 

Baby Stay and Play – Online Baby Stay and play group via Zoom, for babies and their parent/carer to connect with other families, discuss various parenting topics and enjoy some interactive song and rhyme time with one of our Early Years Practitioners. Please contact childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk for more information.

 

Baby Massage – Our Baby Massage course is now being facilitated by our trained Infant Massage Instructors online via Zoom.  Baby Massage can support your babies overall development, help relax baby and parent/carer, support digestive issues like wind, gas and colic, promote better sleep habits and support the relationship between parent/carer and baby. Suitable from birth to 6 months old.  Please contact childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk for more information.

Dads' Groups

We encourage dads-to-be/dads/male carers to use all our services. On a Saturday morning we hold a Dads-Only stay & play session. This is an opportunity for dads/male carers to meet other dads, play with their children and get support and advice from our team if needed. Please contact childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk for more information.

 

Safe Sleeping

Knowing how to position your baby when sleeping, what mattress and bedding is best, what temperature their room should be and whether to co-sleep are all important to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Advice is available from the Lullaby Trust on safer sleeping and co-sleeping.

One to Two

Appointments 

Your baby will be due for a health review at 9-12 months covering language and learning, safety, diet, and behaviour. 

The NHS Birth to Five development timeline outlines the milestones in your child’s development.

Speech, language and communication

 Stay & Play

A chance for children and parents to socialise together, play, explore and learn with other children within a safe, informative and stimulating environment. The group also includes a fun interactive singing and rhyming time for you and your child. During these sessions we offer regular parent information workshops  on topics such as sleep, toilet training, oral health and parenting.For ages 0 to 5 years. For more information please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Ready Steady Talk! - An early communication group delivered over 5 weeks with a 45 minute weekly session. The programme is for children having difficulties in their home language between the ages of 18 months and 30 months. The group requires a referral to be made by either a health professional or an early year’s practitioner. For more information speak to your Health Visitor or please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Diet/nutrition

Start 4 Life provides up to date information about nutritional recommendations for 1-2 year olds.

First Steps Nutrition produces a detailed guide to good food choices and portion sizes for 1-4 year olds.

HENRY (Health, Exercise & Nutrition for the Really Young) Healthy Families Programme

This is an 8-week programme, which supports families in achieving healthy lifestyle goals. Participating families receive a free HENRY toolkit. Age-range: 0-5 years. Please speak to your Health Visitor or for more information email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Two to Three

Appointments 

Your child is due to have a full health and development review at 2-2½ years, this is usually carried out by a health visitor or nursery nurse.

 

Speech, language and communication

 

Ready Steady Talk! - An early communication group delivered over 5 weeks with a 45 minute weekly session. The programme is for children having difficulties in their home language between the ages of 18 months and 30 months. The group requires a referral to be made by either a health professional or an early year’s practitioner. For more information speak to your Health Visitor or please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Diet/nutrition

HENRY (Health, Exercise & Nutrition for the Really Young) Healthy Families Programme

This is an 8-week programme, which supports families in achieving healthy lifestyle goals. Participating families receive a free HENRY toolkit. Age-range: 0-5 years. Please speak to your Health Visitor or for more information email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

 

Healthy Start

The Healthy Start scheme offers food and vitamin vouchers to eligible families.

These tips will help you to make the most of your vouchers.

 

First Steps Nutrition produces a useful guide to good food choices and portion sizes for 1-4 year olds.

Toileting

 Your child may be ready to start potty training from around 18 – 30 months.

Three to Four

Speech, language and communication

 Stay & Play

A chance for children and parents to socialise together, play, explore and learn with other children within a safe, informative and stimulating environment. The group also includes a fun interactive singing and rhyming time for you and your child. For ages 0 to 5 years. For more information please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Musical Jelly Beans

Get active and get moving with our fun, interactive, music, singing and rhyming session. Activities include dancing, singing, playing musical instruments and parachute games and bubbles. For ages 0 to 5 years. For ages 0 to 5 years. For more information please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Diet/nutrition

HENRY (Health, Exercise & Nutrition for the Really Young) Healthy Families Programme

This is an 8-week programme, which supports families in achieving healthy lifestyle goals. Participating families receive a free HENRY toolkit. Age-range: 0-5 years. Please speak to your Health Visitor or for more information email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Four to Five

Appointments

What are transitions and the 'EYFS'?

Whether it’s your child's first time in an early year’s provision, or your child is moving from one type of provision to another; this is called a ‘transition’. Children require extra support during this time, so here is some information and guidance for parents, to help prepare your child. This information is targeted at Pre-school to Nursery age children.

Most Early Years provisions follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, to support children's learning. In this curriculum, there are 7 areas of learning. (Add Link) 

Speech, language and communication

Stay & Play

A chance for children and parents to socialise together, play, explore and learn with other children within a safe, informative and stimulating environment. The group also includes a fun interactive singing and rhyming time for you and your child. For ages 0 to 5 years. For more information please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Musical Jelly Beans

Get active and get moving with our fun, interactive, music, singing and rhyming session. Activities include dancing, singing, playing musical instruments and parachute games and bubbles. For ages 0 to 5 years. For ages 0 to 5 years. For more information please email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Diet/nutrition

 By the age of 5, children should be following the same healthy eating guidelines as adults.

Change4Life provides useful information about how to ensure your child is eating healthily. 

HENRY (Health, Exercise & Nutrition for the Really Young) Healthy Families Programme

This is an 8-week programme, which supports families in achieving healthy lifestyle goals. Participating families receive a free HENRY toolkit. Age-range: 0-5 years. Please speak to your Health Visitor or for more information email: childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

Resource Section

CBeebies Storytime App

CBeebies Storytime

CBeebies Storytime is filled with free interactive story books and bedtime stories for young children and is a great way to enjoy reading with your little one. The library is always growing, with amazing stories featuring all the CBeebies’ favourites.

Age: 0-5

Platform: AppleAndroidAmazon

CBeebies Playtime Island

CBeebies Playtime Island

CBeebies Playtime Island contains a wide range of fun and educational games to help children understand the world around them and support the development of core skills. Children can play along with all of CBeebies’ most popular characters.

Age: 0-5

Platform: AppleAndroidAmazon

Lingumi - Kids' English

Lingumi - Kids' English

Lingumi provides a course focused on spoken and communicative English. The app provides sets of learning games, speech recognition games and video-based games to help the child grow their grammar and get them speaking their first words.

Age: 2-5

Platform: AppleAndroid

Kaligo

Kaligo

Kaligo is a digital handwriting exercise book designed to teach children how to write using a stylus and tablet, built on an AI machine learning platform. A self-paced approach enables children to progress at their own speed according to their own ability, whilst AI Machine learning provides real-time corrective feedback.

Age: 3-5

Platform: AppleAndroid

The following apps contain phonics content and therefore are only intended for use with school-aged children. Used with your child, they may be a way to support the phonics they are already learning at school, however, you should check with your child’s class teacher that the approaches used in the apps align with your school’s teaching methods before using at home.

Teach Your Monster to Read

Teach Your Monster to Read

Teach Your Monster to Read is a phonics and reading game that’s helped children learn to read. The app covers the first two years of learning to read, from matching letters and sounds to enjoying small books.

Age: school-aged children

Platform: AppleAndroidAmazon

Navigo

Navigo

The Navigo app aims to support beginner readers to develop reading skills (accuracy, fluency and comprehension) through engaging with the personalised content and activities.

Age: school-aged children

Platform: Android

Phonics Hero

Phonics Hero

Phonics Hero teaches children to read and spell with systematic synthetic phonics. The app includes over 850 fun and varied games. Using a step-by-step approach, children learn the 44 sounds, the reading and spelling of words, and how to conquer sentences.

Age: school-aged children

Platform: AppleAndroid

The following app is intended for use with school-aged children. A child could use this app for further independent reading once they have successfully completed their school’s phonics programme. If you are unsure when this is, we recommend that you discuss the matter with your child’s class teacher before using the app with your child.

Fonetti

Fonetti

Fonetti is a Listening Bookshop™ that provides young children with a patient, comforting listening ear to help in the learning-to-read journey, but also with the added benefit of tracking progress, identifying reading challenges, and highlighting to their adult carers where the most support is needed.

Age: school-aged children

Platform: Apple

The Department for Education is not the creator, owner, editor, manager or provider of the apps listed. The app providers are neither affiliates, associates nor partners of the Hungry Little Minds campaign, the content of this website is solely the property of the Department of Education and does not necessarily reflect the views or position of any of the providers listed.

Early years apps pilot: home learning environment legal disclaimer.

More information on apps


Choosing an app for your child – the FEED test

There are lots of apps that say they are ‘educational’, but you’ll want to reassure yourself that’s the case and that they are right for your child. The FEED check may help.

Fun – Will your child enjoy the app? Will it keep their attention?

Educational – Is there a clear educational aim? Do you know what your child will learn? Will it keep them learning and allow them to progress?

Engaging – Will it help your child if they get stuck? Will it give them feedback and let them know when they’ve got challenges right?

Design – Is it attractive and easy to use? Is it inclusive and does it avoid gender and racial stereotypes? Can an adult change the settings? Is it safe, with links to the internet and adverts protected behind a parental gate?

Find more information on how to support your child’s learning through apps and get advice on screen time:

 

 

Get more information


You can find out more information and get more ideas and activities to do with your child from the following websites:

 

 

Online educational resources


We have recently brought together an initial list of online educational resources to support children at home during the coronavirus outbreak. This list is not exhaustive and there are many other resources available.

English

  • Audible – all children’s audiobooks are available for free while schools are closed
  • Authorfy – access to masterclasses on texts from a range of authors, including videos from the authors and activities linked to novels, registration required
  • BookTrust – a site with recommended booklists, categorised by age range and topic, including fiction and non-fiction, family activities are included in the ‘home time’ section
  • Classroom Secrets – downloadable resource packs which cover a range of subjects, including reading and writing
  • Love Reading 4 Kids – a site with recommended booklists, categorised by age range and topic, covering fiction and non-fiction
  • Purple Mash – free during the school closure period, each week, a selection of daily activities is produced on different subjects, including comprehension and grammar, registration required
  • Storytime with Nick – films of well-loved stories read by Nick Cannon, a trained actor, teacher and trainer
  • The Children’s Poetry Archive – an archive of spoken poetry recordings, children can listen to poems read out loud

Maths

  • Mathematics Mastery – downloadable guidance and resource packs for parents and pupils
  • Nrich – a range of activities, some are interactive and some are to be completed offline – activities are categorised by age range
  • Numberblocks – videos for numeracy development designed for children aged 0 to 6 – there are fun activities that can be applied to everyday life and play
  • Top Marks – a range of interactive maths games categorised by age group
  • White Rose Maths (home learning) – presentations and downloadable workbooks which are easy to use for parents, new material is being released each week

Physical activity

  • Boogie Beebies – videos that get younger children up and dancing with CBeebies presenters
  • Disney 10 minute shakeups – 10-minute activities based on Disney films that count towards a child’s 60 active minutes per day

 

Mental wellbeing

Connecting with your baby - Video

Ready steady talk

The Early Help Service have joined together with colleagues in the Speech & Language Therapy Service (SALT) to support a cohort of 21 children on their waiting list to enable them to access Early Language support (Ready Steady Talk). The groups have previously been developed working in close partnership with NELFT Speech and Language Therapy Service.      

The early year’s practitioners are currently delivering this targeted service on a one-to-one basis as part of a revised Children’s Centre 0-5 Covid-19 support offer. The programme has been adapted so it can be delivered by telephone as a one-to-one intervention over 5 weeks with home based online activities being shared.

The Early Language groups are focused on supporting children aged between 18 months & 2 ½ years to develop and encourage children’s attention and listening skills and includes strategies that can be used at home to encourage language development.

For further details on the one-to-one Early Language support being delivered by the Children’s Centre’s, please e-mail:- childrenscentres@havering.gov.uk

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