Education of
Children Living in Care

Education is our Future

Early Learning: 0-5 years

Early experiences provide the building blocks for later life. Exploration of the world through play encourages the child to learn about and make sense of their environment.

Children living in care of this age group may have very poor early experiences so it is essential that those responsible for this age group ensure that children are offered plenty of opportunities to make up for this.

Some key activites

Talk to and with the child about what you and they are doing and have done during the day. This helps language develop as well as other social skills such as listening and turn-taking. It also supports attention and sequencing skills.
Play alongside and with the child.
Share books, tapes and TV
Make visits/take trips to: friends, the local park, art galleries, the level crossing, the river and so on.
Plant seeds, bake cakes, paint and crayon, cut and stick etc at home.
Enrol the child in early years provision eg nursery, 'tumbletots'.

Other support and help

Bexley Library Service alongside many other councils across the UK, is to provide children in the early years with packs to support early literacy. This initiative will start between November 2005 and January 2006 with a 'baby bag' issued by Health Visitors to children of 18 months. Another pack will be provided some months later and a third, a 'Treasure Box', at 3 years.

Family Information Service (FIS) for available child care, playgroup and nursery provision.

Nursery Classes for nursery places and admissions procedures.

Personal Education Plans children living in care.

Choosing a primary school guidance booklet.

www.parentcentre.gov.uk for useful information on all aspects of learning.

Education of Children Living in Care

Education is our Future

Early Learning: 0-5 years

Some key activites

Other support and help

Education of
Children Living in Care