Early intervention will improve the lives of vulnerable children and help break the cycle of “dysfunction and under-achievement”, a report says.
The government-commissioned report recommends regular assessments of all pre-school children, focusing on their social and emotional development.
Graham Allen’s report also calls for a national parenting programme in the UK.
The Labour MP was asked to assess how children from disadvantaged backgrounds could be given the best start in life.
His report says success or failure in early childhood has “profound economic consequences” and calls for more private money to be channelled into early intervention schemes to help set children on the right path in life.
It also recommends numbering all year groups from birth not just from the start of primary school.
In his report, the Nottingham North MP says decades of late intervention has failed and major social problems have got worse not better.
All too often society is failing to equip young children with the social and emotional skills they need in life, he says.
“If we continue to fail, we will only perpetuate the cycle of wasted potential, low achievement, drink and drug misuse, unintended teenage pregnancy, low work aspirations, anti-social behaviour and lifetimes on benefits, which now typifies millions of lives and is repeated through succeeding generations,” the report warns.
Only early intervention can break the “inter-generational cycle of dysfunction and under-achievement”, it says.
Mr Allen’s report highlights the impact of poor parenting and says too few parents-to-be understand how to build the social and emotional capability of a baby or small child.
All parents need to know how to “recognise and respond to a baby’s cues, attune with infants and stimulate them from the very start, and how to foster empathy”, it says.
The report quotes some American research that shows the early years are the greatest period of growth in the human brain.
This is why, Mr Allen argues, it is important to intervene in the early years, rather than later when the basic architecture, or wiring, of the brain is formed for life.
He highlights the Family Nurse Partnership, which has had a lot of success in the United States, and says it should be available to all vulnerable first-time mothers in the UK.
The programme sees specially trained nurses regularly visiting young, first-time mothers from pregnancy until their child is two, to promote attachment and positive parenting.
“If we can just invest a little early in the life cycle to help mums and babies, and young people, then I think you’ll find that money is recouped over and over again,” says Mr Allen.
He also suggests the UK gives the pre-school years – 0 to 5, including pregnancy – the same recognition developmentally as the primary and secondary years of education.
He says this could be partly achieved by numbering all the year groups from birth, not just from the start of primary school which starts with the Reception year.
The prime objective of this should be “to produce high levels of ‘school readiness’ for all children, regardless of income,” he says.
“It is important that everyone with responsibilities for child development, particularly parents, understands how the 0 to 18 health and educational cycle is continuous from birth and does not start on entry to primary school.”
He also calls for regular assessment of pre-school-age children, focusing on social and emotional development “so that they can be put on the path to ‘school readiness’”.
He adds: “Socially and emotionally capable people are more productive, better educated, tax-paying citizens helping our nation to compete in the global economy, and make fewer demands on public expenditure.”
He recommends setting up an independent early intervention foundation to drive early intervention forward, assess policies and attract investment.
“I recommend that the foundation should be led and funded by non-central government sources, including local authorities, ethical and philanthropic trusts, foundations and charities, as well as private investors who have already expressed an interest in this.”
Mr Allen is due to publish a second report before the summer parliamentary recess detailing how private sector money can fund proven early intervention programmes.
Have you got ideas on how to help children prepared better for later life? Do you think there is enough support available for struggling parents? Leave your comments below and join the discussion!
We are in total agreement that the EYFS is of a great benefit to children and that pre-school facilities across the country, including our own, are working hard to ensure the effective implementation of the programme.
Our main concern is therefore for the children from disadvantaged backgrounds that may not have access to this type of early years learning and are therefore dependent upon their parents as main educators in their home. How would these children access the EYFS if parents do not have sufficient know-how or financial means?
I urge caution for anyone reading ‘snipets’ of this report. The EYFS if used correctly, is doing and completely encourages what Mr Allen recommends – assessment is in the form of learning – it is continuous -, partnership with parents, looking at the whole child and looking at the future. I am very worried about the ripples this is going to cause throughout the Early Years Sector. I think children who are attending an early years setting are already engaged in this type of learning and assessment – this is old news. However, I do find it refreshing that emphasis is being put on parenting skills, but please, lets not draw from America, lets draw from the UK, from Europe, Scandanavia, from a country where we see a high standard of living, not where we see simelar if not worse problems than our own.
I find it encourageing that this has been given a level of importance, but lets be careful just how the press pick it up, what comes out as a shocker headline – whatever is recommended, it has to be for the benefit of the child, the child of now, not the one bandied about in the press for years to come.
I agree with laraine. I am also the owner of a chain of nurseries and believe strongly that we at the coalface understand the issues facing children and parents in our area – much more so than any politician or Whitehall Manderin.
Perhaps the government (Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem) should stop trying to re-invent the wheel and ask the providers and nursery workers for their feedback on issues pertaining to the industry – not just early years intervention but also the code of practice and EYFS – to name but a few issues!
As the Managing Director/Owner of private day nurseries for over 14 years I would urge Mr allen to contact the likes of myself, nursery owners/experienced childcare professionals, who have first hand experience of dealing with 0-11 year old children on a day to day basis, 50 weeks per year. I believe great benefits can be derived from our vast, ongoing daily experiances of dealing with a variety of behavioural abilities and the shared challenges, approach and assistance that is given to both child and parents within our settings.
Childcare professional’s, myself included, play a big part in helping to support parents, in many ways, with the early development, social integration and behavioural issues that they may encounter through by encouraging and promoting acceptable joint programmes followed at home as well as in the nursery through best practise. We see first hand the success that this achieves.