Peterborough City Council and Peterborough Family Hubs are launching Ready Steady Grow, a campaign to help families support children’s learning, development and school readiness from birth to age five.
The campaign, which launches on 5 August, brings together trusted advice, practical tips and free support through Family Hubs, making it easier for parents and carers to find help in one place.
The aim of the campaign is to help more children reach a Good Level of Development (GLD) by the end of Reception, giving them the best start to their school career and beyond. By learning through play, the campaign encourages the skills needed for children to be ready for school, including asking questions, following simple instructions, playing alongside others, using cutlery, and getting dressed.
Families will be able to access expert-led play sessions including:
- Seedlings - an interactive session for under-2s and their parents/carers, with an introduction to the different types of play to help you get the most out of playtime.
- Saplings - for two to five-year-olds and their parents/carers, introducing the key skills that your child will need when they go to school. There will be different topics each week alongside play activities, including toilet training, independent skills such as putting on coats and shoes, bedtime routines, asking for help, and mealtimes.
- Family Play - an online course just for parents and carers, demonstrates the benefits of playing for the whole family, and gives simple advice and tips for playing with your children.
- Roots and Green Shoots - courses for families identified by health visitors who could benefit from tailored support.
There will also be downloadable activity ideas on the Family Hubs section of the Peterborough City Council website, as well as on the Peterborough City Council social media channels. All activities will be easy to set up and low- or no-cost.
Over the summer holidays, Peterborough Family Hubs have been running a packed programme of free family events, including circus skills, forest school, exotic animals and more – all of which encourage skills to support school readiness. All of these events are open to families with children of all ages, and are first-come, first-served.
Peterborough Family Hubs have also created a Play Charter for family-friendly organisations to sign up for, which states that:
- Children have the right to play
- Every day is an opportunity to play
- Play environments must be safe and inclusive
- We value, protect and advocate for play
Cllr Katy Cole, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Education, said: “Parents and carers have a vital role to play in their child’s development, especially in the early years – we want to support families with simple but effective activity ideas and encourage them to have fun together, whilst ultimately increasing the number of children with a Good Level of Development at the end of Reception in Peterborough.”