Best Start Bulletin

March 2018

Best Start bulletin

Welcome to the March edition of the Best Start bulletin. In this edition you will find out about the Best Start Early Learning Collaboration and how they support nurseries, preschools and childminders.

What does the Best Start Early Learning

Collaboration do?

The Best Start Early Learning Collaboration promote

best practice in Early Years settings (preschools,

nurseries and childminders), providing advice,

guidance and training for staff. The collaboration is

led by Crosfield Nursery School and Children's

Centre and includes Portland Bill Pre-school, CALAT

and Fairchildes Children's Centre.

Who is in the team and what do they do?

Kathryn Blackburn, the team manager provides

leadership and management to the team, working

closely with the collaboration members and wider

Best Start partners to promote best practice in Early Years settings.

Jenny Morrow is the Early Years Foundation Stage Engagement Officer. Jenny organises learning

community events where professionals from Schools, Children's Centres and Early Years settings

including Childminders meet half termly to discuss and find shared solutions to topical issues.

The focus of the next Learning Community Event is "How Boys Play and Learn". Early Years

practitioners can contact the team for further details and to book onto sessions.

Jeni Murphy is the Early Years Improvements and Standards Officer. Jeni manages the Improvements

and Standards team which is made up of Sejul Shah, Michelle Lyons, Shona Allerton and Sam

Parslow. This team provide support programmes for new settings, settings with a less than good

ofsted outcome.

Sarah Leslie is the Workforce Development Officer. Sarah and other members of the team co-design

and deliver a comprehensive training programme which includes an apprenticeship programme,

individual workshops and short courses, project based work such as Making Children's Learning Visible

and Early Chatter Matters, accredited training, a Foundation degree and access to Early Years Teacher

Status accreditation.

Sheila Randall is the Partnership and Liaison Officer. Sheila is developing a whole Early Years sector

delivery of parental engagement, home learning, Bookstart and other local / national Early Literacy

campaigns.

How can I contact the Best Start Early Learning Collaboration?

You can contact the Best Start Early Learning Collaboration by email: earlylearning@crosfield.croydon.sch.uk or call 0208 665 1127

www.facebook.com/croydonbeststart @cbeststart https://www.croydon.gov.uk/community/childcare/childcentres/what-is-best-start

Some of the Best Start Early Learning Collaboration team

Left to right: Jenny Morrow, Sejul Shah, Kathryn Blackburn,

Jeni Murphy, Sheila Randall, Shona Allerton

www.facebook.com/croydonbeststart @cbeststart

Perinatal Mental Health, Health Visitor

Rosie Jones meets the

Congratulations to Rosie Jones who

met with the Duchess of Cambridge on Wednesday 24 January at the Mother & Baby unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. Rosie was asked to be part of a round table discussion with the Duchess about supporting mothers and families suffering with perinatal mental health. We caught up with Rosie and asked her how it felt to meet the Duchess - “What an honour it was and still feels, to have been invited and to have been placed to sit next to the Duchess. The Duchess has a genuine compassion and care for mothers suffering with perinatal mental ill health and is very aware of the effect this can have on families.”

Check out our Facebook and Twitter

pages for all up to date information.

Calling all first time parents!

Introduction to solid

food sessions delivered by Best Start Health

Visitors

Find out about introducing

solids, when to start and how

to begin. These workshops are for first time parents

and the ideal time to come along is when your baby is

about four months old to help introduce solids at six

months.

Call 020 8274 6468 / 6342 or email

CH-TR.NursingCPD@nhs.net to find out dates &

book your place!

Look out for the Best Start... Perinatal Mental Health Leaflet

Download your copy now...

https://www.croydonhealthservices.nhs.uk/

services/Childrens_universal_services/

Having a baby is one of the biggest,

life-changing experiences and while this is often a

happy and exciting time, sometimes for many different

reasons, pregnancy and the arrival of a new baby is

not as easy and perhaps not as hoped or planned.

This leaflet contains lots of useful information and

advice with links to national organisations to support

parents and their babies.

*How to tell if you have depression / anxiety*

*Who can help*

*National organisations that can help*

*Looking after yourself*

*Emergency contacts*

‘Bookstart, Bird, Boogie’

Following on from the success of previous Best

Start events, we are planning to hold another event on Thursday 7 June. We are taking this opportunity to join the National Booktrust campaign themed ‘Bookstart, Bird, Boogie’ emphasising the importance and pleasure of reading. Lots of fun activities for children will be available on the day!

Please save the date, further details to be sent out shortly...

In order to improve access

to the Health Development

Reviews the Health Visiting

(HV) Service has made

changes to the way

appointments are offered. Parents will receive a

letter when their infant is around nine months and

again at around two years of age asking that they

call the given number to arrange the health review.

The letter will include an age appropriate Ages and

Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) which parents / carers

are asked to complete and bring along to the

appointment. Interpreters are available if required.

Parents will be offered an appointment with their own

HV team. If no appointments are available then an

alternative appointment at another centre will be

offered to parents able to travel. Some families will

be contacted directly by the HV to arrange the

review.

Visit our website to see what activities and support

is on offer at the Best Start Children’s Centres. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/community/childcare/childcentres/

what-is-best-start

Children’s centre