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| home> newsletter archive 2008 > under5s newsletter no.06 |
| under5s - under5s newsletter no.06 |
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| Under5s Newsletter No.06 |
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This week 1. Did you know
1. DID YOU KNOW IS FIVE TOO SOON TO START SCHOOL? Do children start school at too young an age in England? Is childhood freedom being curtailed too soon? Read this article here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7234578.stm
HELP NCB TO END CHILD POVERTY The government's aim to halve child poverty by 2010 draws ever closer. This month the End Child Poverty Campaign (ECPC) needs your help to realise this aim and take an important step towards ending child poverty for good. The ECPC - of which NCB is a founding member - is a collective of over 90 charities, organisations and groups that works hard to ensure current and future governments commit to the goal of eradicating child poverty in the UK by 2020. This month the ECPC is calling on the Chancellor to make his next budget a budget to end child poverty. Sign the online petition following the link below. Forward the link on to your friends and family. The more people that sign up, the more the government will know how seriously the population takes the issue of child poverty. Help us to end it once and for all, giving every child in the UK the childhood and future chances they deserve. Sign-up now by visiting:
TAKE YOUR FAMILY ON A READING ADVENTURE Parents are being urged to give their children a gift that money can't buy - time to read together. To help parents support their children's reading in and out of the home, and to celebrate the National Year of Reading, the National Literacy Trust has produced a free family reading activity card. Parents are being urged to give their children
a gift that money can’t buy – time to read together. To help parents support
their children’s reading in and out of the home, and to celebrate the National
Year of Reading, the National Literacy Trust has produced a free family
reading activity card.
Julia Strong, deputy director of the National
Literacy Trust, explains:
“Parents are a child’s first educator and
research has proved their involvement in reading has more of an influence
on children’s achievement than any other factor – including how well educated
or rich their parents are. Together we can harness the energy of the National
Year of Reading and use the family reading activity card to make every
home a reading home and every child a reader.”
The activity card is a colourful, pocket-sized,
pull-out leaflet and is full of great ideas for parents to encourage reading
in the home. It includes ideas for easy games and activities to do around
the home and during everyday activities. There are also age-specific tips
as well as information on why reading and sharing stories matters. To get
a copy of the activity card visit http://www.familyreading.org.uk
GOOGLE IS HIRING ! Children's Center (California - Mountain View) At Google, we've long been dedicated to encouraging our employees' creativity, personal growth, and love of learning. Now we want to offer the same kind of encouragement to their children. To help us achieve this vision, we're looking for childcare professionals to be part of our new children's center in Mountain View, California. Our center will provide children from 3 months to 5 years with a creative, developmentally appropriate, play-based curriculum, centered on our deep respect for children and their families as well as our belief that all children are capable, competent learners. If you're dedicated to early childhood development, and get excited at the prospect of helping us build a high-quality children's center, submit your resume. We'd love to hear from you. http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/topic.py?dep_id=10785&loc_id=1116&src=childrenscenter
2. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK The Hoobs From Channel 4 the website that accompanies the TV series. Packed full of activities and learning opportunities. http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/H/hoobs/index.jsp
3. UNDER5S DOWNLOAD CENTRE DON'T FORGET - you can find 24 different plans in the Download Centre and all of our planning is available to download today. Don't miss the fantastic Let's Sign signing resources. Childminders - if you are struggling with Birth to Three, take a look at the Birth to Three Planning Guidance. http://cnb-host4.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/under5s?op=catalogue-categories-null EARLY LEARNING FORUMS Join Us ! To discuss early years issues. To find support and advice on early years education. To relax and chat amongst friends. Come on in and have a look... http://www.earlylearningforums.co.uk/
4. DATE FOR YOUR DIARY MARCH 2 http://www.under5s.co.uk/mumday.html#mothers%20day Find more events here
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| 5. NEWS
PRE-SCHOOL LEARNING ALLIANCE URGES GOVERNMENT TO RETHINK PROPOSED 'STAGGERING' INCREASES TO OFSTED REGISTRATION FEES The Pre-school Learning Alliance, the largest
voluntary provider of childcare in England, has spoken out on behalf of
its 15, 000 strong membership against the proposed increases in Ofsted
registration fees, branding them ‘staggering' and urging the government
to show greater understanding of the sustainability issues faced by the
childcare sector.
Chief Executive Steve Alexander said:
‘The average percentage increase of the
proposed fees from 2007 to 2010 is a staggering 1175 per cent, causing
grave concern to providers who will be outraged by the steepness of the
increases. The Alliance has consistently lobbied the government, highlighting
the threats to long term sustainability that many providers are currently
facing. The seeming lack of understanding of current sustainability issues
demonstrated by these proposed rises is therefore extremely disappointing.
This will just serve to add to the cost pressures on providers when most
are struggling to make ends meet.'
‘There is currently great instability in
the market, and the timing of these increases has been misjudged. New initiatives
including the advent of the single funding formula, the growth of new children's
centres and services, and the drive to increase staff qualifications still
need to be factored in. They will impact on costs and occupancy levels
and add further sustainability pressures.'
‘As a recent report shows, parents in the
UK are paying much higher costs for childcare than their European neighbours.
Early years providers are struggling to balance offering affordable care
for parents with their increasing operating costs. For most, and especially
in areas of deprivation, passing the increased costs on to parents is just
not feasible. Concerned members of the Alliance have told us that the proposed
fees will hit them, and the service they are able to provide to children
and families, very hard. They are astonished and dismayed at what some
are calling the final straw after years striving to accommodate government
initiatives.'
‘We urge the government to rethink these
proposals, or risk reducing the availability of affordable childcare for
families and consigning a large number of early years settings to closure.'
INTEGRATED HEALTH STRATEGIES CAN SAVE CHILDREN'S LIVES, SAYS UNICEF FLAGSHIP, STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN REPORT 2008 Strategies that can help reduce the number of children who die before their fifth birthday were highlighted today, at the launch of UNICEF's flagship report - The State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival - in Geneva. While recent data show a fall in the rate
of under-five mortality, the State of the World’s Children Report 2008
goes beyond the numbers to suggest actions and initiatives that should
lead to further progress.
“Community-level integration of essential
services for mothers, newborns and young children, and sustainable improvements
in national health systems can save the lives of many of the more than
26,000 children under five who die each day,” said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF
Executive Director. “The report describes the impact of simple, affordable
life-saving measures, such as exclusive breastfeeding, immunization, insecticide-treated
bed nets and vitamin A supplementation, all of which have helped to reduce
child deaths in recent years.”
The report’s analysis also reveals that
far more needs to be done to increase access to treatments and means of
prevention, so the devastating impact of pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria,
severe acute malnutrition and HIV can be better addressed.
The challenge is to ensure children have
access to a continuum of health care, backed by strong national health
systems.
"Stepping up investment in health systems
will be crucial if we are to meet the child health targets set by the United
Nations, but progress can be made even when health systems are weak,” said
Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “Innovative
programs in many countries show that an integrated approach where each
child is reached with a package of interventions at one time can bring
immediate benefits."
The new information in The State of the
World’s Children 2008 is drawn from household survey data as well as material
from key partners, including the World Health Organization and the World
Bank.
It provides examples of successful initiatives,
such as the Accelerated Child Survival and Development Initiative, which
provides integrated primary care to impoverished households in sub-Saharan
Africa, and the Measles Initiative; a global campaign that has helped to
reduce measles deaths by around 68 per cent worldwide, and by more than
90 per cent in Africa, since 2000.
The approach to child survival that the
report advocates would see the best disease-specific initiatives combined
with investment in strong national health systems to create a continuum
of care for mothers, newborns and young children that extends from the
household, to the local clinic, to the district hospital and beyond.
The report emphasizes the need to involve
local communities. These communities generate necessary demand for quality
health care and their engagement is vital if marginalized and remote populations
are to be reached.
Nowhere is the need for life-saving strategies
more apparent than in sub-Saharan Africa where, on average, one child in
every six dies before their fifth birthday. In 2006, almost half of all
under-five deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, even though less than
one quarter of the world’s children live there.
The report provides information on a strategic
framework developed by UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank – at the invitation
of the African Union – to help African countries and others reduce the
toll of maternal and child deaths.
The framework calls for:
Good data to inform policies and programmes;
A shift to combine disease-specific and
nutrition interventions in integrated packages to ensure a continuum of
care;
The mainstreaming of maternal, newborn
and child health and nutrition into national strategic planning processes
to scale up and strengthen health systems;
Improved quality and increased, predictable
financing for strengthening health systems;
Political commitments to approaches that
provide a continuum of care; and
The harmonization of global health programmes
and partnerships.
“Child survival is not only a human rights
imperative, it is also a development imperative,” said Joy Phumaphi, Vice
President, Human Development Network at the World Bank. “Investing in the
health of children and their mothers is a sound economic decision and one
of the surest ways for a country to set its course towards a better future.”
MORE SCHOOL TRIPS FOR PUPILS
Teachers will find it easier to take pupils on school trips with more help and advice, less bureaucracy and quality badges for popular destinations, thanks to new guidance from the Department of Children, Schools and Families. The measure is included in the ‘Staying Safe’ Action Plan. Evidence shows that learning outside of the classroom brings benefits to pupils such as deeper subject learning, increased self confidence and raised achievement. It can also help young people to understand and manage risk. Research shows that Heads and teachers are aware of these benefits, and they have said they will take pupils on visits if they feel confident and have had training. The new guidance makes it much easier for teachers to take their pupils out of the classroom. Organisations that host school or other youth group visits such as museums, historic houses, field study centres and farms will be encouraged to qualify for quality ‘badges’, which will help teachers identify places that provide high quality learning outside of the classroom, and are managing safety effectively. This will help reduce the bureaucratic burden of risk assessment on teachers. The measure was included in the ‘Staying Safe’ Action Plan, launched today by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Ed Balls said: “Learning outside the classroom helps pupils understand their subjects better and increases their self-confidence. School trips also help young people explore and learn about risk and how to manage it. I hope that by making it easier for teachers to take their students outside the classroom we will help a generation of pupils develop their independence and raise their attainment. “We should not let a fear of a compensation culture prevent pupils from learning outside the classroom. On school trips - as in other areas covered in our staying safe action plan - we need to help parents and teachers strike the right balance between protecting our children and allowing them the freedom to develop and enjoy childhood." Other new measures outlined in the report include: • A new Child Safety Education coalition
Children’s Minister Kevin Brennan said: “If children are not safe, they cannot be happy, healthy, or reach their full potential. But we can’t wrap them up – they need to learn about taking risks so they can protect themselves.” Tom Mullarkey, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: "This is a major step in the right direction towards simplifying regulation and reducing bureaucracy. The important thing is that children have a safe and excellent learning experience and any impediment to that objective needs to be revisited. Teachers need support and guidance, not endless, unnecessary form-filling and this initiative will be widely welcomed in staff rooms throughout the country." The Out and About guidance on school visits will be available from May 2008 and the quality badge in September 2008. The new ‘Staying Safe’ action plan sets out how government will deliver the new Public Service Agreement on improving children and young people’s safety. The Departmental commitment to this was confirmed in the Children’s Plan, which was launched in December 2007. The plan reflects the cross government nature of the Public Service Agreement and includes plans and actions for a number of departments including: Home Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Department of Health, Department for Transport, Department for Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Justice. The Staying Safe Action Plan is available
at http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/stayingsafe/
The Children’s Plan is available from http://www.dcsf.gov.uk
6. INTERNATIONAL NEWS NEW ZEALAND EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRES RECEIVE MORE FUNDING Thirteen new early childhood education centres (ECE) across the country have received grants with a combined worth of $485,000 to help them start providing services, Education Minister Chris Carter announced today. Seven existing ECE services will
also expand their services by five or more child places thanks to this
additional funding. In the 2007/08 financial year $1.2 million is available
to eligible services, and funds are allocated four times during the year.
Individual services can receive up to $30,000.
Participation in Free ECE has increased
by 14,286 enrolments since it began on 1 July 2007. Nearly 79,500 three
and four-year-old children are now receiving up to 20 hours Free ECE at
eligible teacher-led early childhood education (ECE) services.
The recipients of the second grants for
the 2007/08 financial year are:
USA REPORT: MORE THAN ONE WAY TO PAY FOR PUBLIC PRE-K State policymakers receive timely advice on innovative funding strategies As policymakers across the country
face unusually tough fiscal constraints, many are also facing a growing
demand among their constituents for high-quality pre-kindergarten. To assist
legislatures with these simultaneous challenges, Pre-K Now today released
“Funding the Future: States’ Approaches to Pre-K Finance” – an up-to-date
analysis of the ways states are funding pre-k and the pros and cons of
various funding strategies.
7. MORE EDUCATIONAL SITES For more educational sites visit http://www.sitesforteachers.com/perl/rankem.pcgi?id=under5s
Kind regards
The Under5s Team
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