Find Your Fire – Doorsteps Youth Work – Under 5s Provision – Supporting Churches – Doorsteps Blog
A child’s first 1,001 days are crucial to the rest of their lives which means that local church baby and toddler groups play a vital role in providing young families with the support they need for their child’s early years to go well so that all children then thrive when they start school.
Sadly, however, only half of Oxfordshire’s disadvantaged children achieved a good level of development at the Early Years Foundation Stage in 2018, in contrast to three-quarters of non-disadvantaged children. In Oxfordshire the ‘disadvantage gap’ rose from 20% to 23% last year whereas the national gap remained at 17%. Evidence shows that such developmental attainment gaps increase as children grow older, meaning that early intervention is vital. Baby and toddler groups can make all the difference as to whether a child then thrives at school and beyond.
Together with the Diocese of Oxford and Oxfordshire County Council, Doorsteps is providing learning and development opportunities for churches as they seek to support families with under 5s. These include:
- Toddler Group Self-Assessment Health and Quality Check 2018 to identify strengths and areas for growth
- Peer networking events
- Learning workshops
- Online resources and signposting. For example, we would encourage every church-run baby and toddler group to list themselves on the online Oxfordshire Family Information Directory.
Early Years’ Newsletters
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Lockdown toddler music
https://bit.ly/Doorsteps-Toddler-Music
https://bit.ly/DoorstepsToddlerMusic2 (includes instruments)
https://bit.ly/Doorsteps-Toddler-Music-3 (autumnal theme)
If you would like to be a part of shaping our work to see all under 5s flourishing in Oxfordshire, please contact Charlotte, Doorsteps Partnerships Manager, at EarlyYearsOxon@viva.org