Bolton Start Well

National Literacy Trust have just launched a brand-new website, Small Talk, which is designed to help parents develop the skills and confidence they need to boost their child’s language skills at home. It features simple activity suggestions, advice and videos to help parents chat, play and read with their child whenever and wherever they are.
https://small-talk.org.uk/…

The Start Well Service is seeking the views of parents and carers about Start Well Children’s Centres and the Start Well Service in general.
The views of parents are very important to us. Your views help us to shape the service to meet the needs of children and their families.
We would be very grateful if parents could complete the survey either online via the link below or, if you would prefer to complete a print version of the survey, you can pick up a copy at your local S...tart Well Children’s Centre.
If you have any queries about the survey, please contact the Start Well Service on 01204 338177.
https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=15 1188258514
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Bolton Music Service organises regular network meetings for Early Years providers which are aimed at developing the musical confidence, skills and understanding of early years practitioners and teachers.
The latest Early Years Music Network meeting is on Monday 13th May at Eagley Infant Primary School starting at 3.45pm.
It is free of charge.
... Please see the flyer for more details.
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All of our Top Tips have been updated for May. Follow the link for top tips for practitioners, parents and our popular Songs of the Month #BoltonStartWell #EYFS #toothbrush
http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/…/com munication-and-lang…/

Do you work with children aged 3-5 years? Learn more about how to improve their language, listening & storytelling skills at our interactive Nursery Narrative Workshop on 7th May. Find out more: http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/…/nur sery-narrative-work…/

The Early Years Briefings are coming up next week. They provide a round up of national and local updates and information to support your leadership of the EYFS as well as an opportunity to catch up with colleagues from across the borough. This briefing also includes a focus on transition.
Please book your free place from the link on the website. All sessions are at Bolton Science and Technology Centre:
Book via www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/courses... Bolton Council
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The long-awaited Level 3 apprenticeship standard for the early years sector is ready for launch after five years of development and testing.
Click the following link to learn more: http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/launch- of-ey-level-3-app…/

Looking for exciting and stimulating activities? Our Start Well Children's Centre Programmes for Summer term 2019 can now been seen here: http://ow.ly/x0B630jPr8R #Bolton

Are you new to the role of Communication Champion?
Keen to learn more about how best to embed this role in your setting?
Then book on our upcoming workshop: Introduction to the Role of the Communication Champion – 2nd May 2019.
... This workshop provides essential training for new Communication Champions and covers key knowledge required to support good adult child interaction in your setting.
By the end of this workshop, you will: • Have an understanding of the important role of the Communication Champion and what this entails; • Be able to share this information with your wider staff team; • Have an understanding of key communication messages and how to share these effectively with your staff team; • Begin to see the importance of embedding communication and language aspects in all planning for all children across the whole setting; and • Find out about additional training available to develop your knowledge and skills in this area.
For more information and to make a booking, click http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/…/int ro-to-the-role-of-c…/
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Communication Champion Briefing - 13th March 2019
In Bolton, we believe that ‘Communication is everyone’s responsibility’.
We have an ambition to have Communication Champions within every educational setting to ensure communication and language is at the heart of our provision here in Bolton.
... We have our termly Communication Champion briefings coming up which is a great opportunity for practitioners to get together to hear local and national updates, consider new research and share good practice. The sessions on the 13th March will focus on effective practice around the use of the WellComm toolkit, the Early Communication and Language Journey and the 5 Golden Rules.
Please book onto the sessions via the Start Well website. http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/courses /…
If you would like more advice or information about the role of the Communication Champion please contact Kathryn Catterall or Pamela Graveson on 338149
Please Note: The ‘5 Golden Rules’ resource for parents will be available to take away for those who haven’t yet received them.
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Places remain on the Early Years Based Information Carrying (EYBIC) word pack workshop: a rich resource to promote the vocabulary, speaking and listening skills of all children through the notion of Information Carrying Words, including those with EAL.
Book now for the 4th March course. http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/courses /eybic-2/

Our monthly top tips have been updated on key areas of speech, language and communication development, ready to be displayed on noticeboards and shared with staff. This is so everyone is aware of the strategies and can be more confident in sharing the parent top tips/songs of the month.
We also include tips for practitioners to share with parents to encourage activities in the home learning environment and promote communication and language development. This includes a monthl...y song card to share with children and parents. This month, we are including 'If you're happy and you know it' and 'Wind the Bobbin Up', with lots of actions for the children to copy as they sing along.
To see the Top Tips for February, go to http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/…/com munication-and-lang…/
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The majority of settings and schools who have been using Ages and Stages Questionnaire - 3 (ASQ-3) and Ages and Stages Questionnaire - Social-Emotional (ASQ-SE) with parents have said that they have:
Reinforced the relationship that they have with parents and enabled parents to be more involved in their children’s assessment and learning.
We now have fully funded (no cost to Bolton Early Years providers) places available on the ASQ-3 & ASQ-SE courses on a number of dates in M...arch.
At the end of this training, participants will:
• Have explored the evidence-based child development screening tools: The Ages and Stages Questionnaire: 3 (ASQ-3) The Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ-SE)
• Understand how ASQ-3 and ASQ-SE fit with the Early Years Foundation Stage assessments
• Understand the value of using parent-led evidence-based child development screening tools
• Understand how the ASQ assessments reinforce the relationships that practitioners have with parents by enabling parents to be more involved in their children’s assessments and learning
This workshop is aimed at all practitioners working with children aged 2 years to 6 years and their families.
For more information and to book on any of the March dates, click on the link: http://www.boltonstartwell.org.uk/courses /…
We are expecting places to fill quickly, so book your place now!
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National Storytelling Week starts on Saturday 25th January. To celebrate, National Literacy Trust has made some brilliant premium resources free for a limited time. The new creative storytelling resources are based around the magical world of Winnie-the-Pooh and is designed for Key Stage 1 pupils. These can be delivered either as a whole-day celebration or more flexibly across several days with an additional writing outcome.
Storytelling Week runs from the 25th January – 2nd... February https://literacytrust.org.uk/…/creative -storytelling-wonde…/
Stories have so much to offer: they develop listening and communication skills, improve concentration and memory, bring experiences alive, create a sense of wonder and help sequence events. They can also provide information, widen vocabulary and make important links between the spoken and written word, as well as stimulating an interest and enjoyment of books.
Lots of stories are also available for parents from our local libraries, and can be reserved by contacting Bolton Library and Museum Services
Bolton Start Well #everychildareader
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Do you want more support on the challenges around early years funding?
MBK consultants are offering a FREE Business Support Workshop, providing specific training on how to accommodate the 30 hours delivery fund in your setting.
Providers have said that the most memorable part of the session was "looking at how to enhance places; looking at project costings; how to re-evaluate delivering prices and costs and to ensure funding gaps reduced".
... "A very informative session; lots of useful tools; future one to one support would be useful; good to meet with other providers to hear how they run things; really good food for thought and highlighted areas for development".
Workshops available on 18th January, 11th February and 20th March.
Visit the Bolton Start Well Website for more details.
Bolton Council, Bolton Families Information Service
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Essential training for anyone new to the role, we currently have a few spaces still available on the 2-hour Introduction to the Role of Communication Champion workshop on 21st January.
This workshop focuses on supporting practitioners to understand the role of the Communication Champion and how to embed this work effectively within their setting.
By the end of the session, you will... * Have an understanding of the important role of the Communication Champion and what this entails; * Be able to share this information with your wider staff team; * Have an understanding of key communication messages and how to share these effectively with your staff team; * Begin to see the importance of embedding communication and language aspects in all planning for all children across the whole setting; and * Find out about additional training available to develop your knowledge and skills in this area.
Free Communication Champion briefings to support this workshop are also held throughout the year, with the next one on 13th March. Details on our website www.boltonstartwell.org.uk
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Bolton Start Well have released their latest early years update, for early education and childcare providers and practitioners in Bolton, which lists all the latest early years news, research and updates. It also gives a full list of all courses available over the next school term.
In addition, the link gives you the opportunity to subscribe to the bi-monthly newsletter, to get future editions direct to your inbox.