LEYF News, Autumn 2010
Transcript of LEYF News, Autumn 2010
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Newsletter Autumn 2010
UpdateNursery frst or theHouse o Commons
Out & AboutLie as a LEYFapprentice
Get ConnectedSocial enterprises
join orces
LEYF sta supportWar Child in Uganda
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A warm welcome to our secondnewsletter or parents, sta andpartners. Time has certainly ownby since our frst edition and a lot
o things have changed.Since his visit to see us last year,David Cameron has becomePrime Minister and I hopehis appreciation o what wedo at LEYF will be reected ingovernment policy. CertainlyI am doing everything I can toensure children remain at the verycentre o such developments. Wehave invited Graham Allen MP tospeak at our 4th Annual MargaretHorn Lecture, this year aiming todebate the coalitions review intothe power o Early Intervention.For us, this means providing greatnurseries.
In the past year, there has beenmore research supporting parentsthat choose to send their childrento nursery. The EPPE project led
by Proessor Kathy Sylva at OxordUniversity has ound that allchildren beneft rom attendinggood nurseries, and children who
come rom more vulnerable anddisadvantaged backgroundseven more so. Our shared aimthen is to help all children reach
their potential, be ready andable to succeed both at schooland later on in lie, in what is anincreasingly ast changing world.
More importantly, our ownindependent research now clearlyindicates that what we do andhow we do it is also making a realand specifc dierence, helpingchildren and parents make themost o their crucial, early years.
So however you come to knowor work with LEYF, I thank youor your support and encourageyou to continue helping us builda better uture or Londonschildren.
I hope you enjoy reading aboutall the great things we haveenjoyed being a part o in recentmonths. Until the next edition,have a great autumn andwinter!
June OSullivan
Chie Executive
New Head o ChildrensServices
Karen Walker has joined LEYF
as Head o Childrens Services.
Former director o West Yorkshire
daycare group, Childrens Place Day
Nurseries, Karen has an outstanding
track record o achievement in the
sector. Previously National Policy
Director or NDNA, she also writes
a regular column or Nursery World
magazine.
inbrie
Outstanding Carlton HillCongratulations to our Carlton Hill
Community Nursery in Maida Vale.
They had plenty to celebrate earlier this
summer, when Osted awarded them
Outstanding status. Inspectors praisedtheir excellent outdoor play, great
parental relationships, well-maintained
learning journeys, as well as career path
development or sta.
Nursery rst or Houseo CommonsOn 1 September we were delighted to
ofcially open the frst ever nursery in
the Palace o Westminster. Catering or
up to 40 children (FTE), the brand new
nursery has been created exclusively orthe children o MPs, their sta and other
employees o the House o Commons.
As an organisation born and bred in
Westminster, we are thrilled to have
been awarded such a ground-breaking
opportunity, said June OSullivan, LEYF
CEO.
In this issue
Welcome
Ouronlinehomeatwww.leyf.org.ukhashadamakeovertelluswhatyouthink!
didyouknow?
Out & About What do you do?
My LEYF experience
Marsham Street dads
Time & Talentspartnership
Get Connected Fundraising
Diary dates
Top tips
Update Making a difference with War Child
Sector training gets a boost
Nursery rst for House of Commons
Summer fun
Fresh food for thought
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LEYF nursery practitioners,Maria Goncalves andTania Silva, spent twoweeks volunteering atthree childrens centresin Uganda earlier thissummer. We speak to Mariaabout their experiences.
Tania had wanted to do somethinglike this since she was a child, explains
Maria Goncalves, on a busy Tuesday
morning at Fitzrovia Community
Nursery. Thats where the idea started.
When we approached LEYF or support,
they suggested we contact War Child,
an organisation they already had some
links with.
The international charity War Child,
which protects children living in the
worlds most dangerous war zones,
currently runs projects in our countries:Uganda, Aghanistan, Iraq and the
Republic o Congo. Ater meeting
Programmes Director Wayne Bleier,
Maria and Tania decided to go to
Uganda. They received fnancial help or
the trip rom LEYF and also rom parents
at their respective nurseries, who were
keen to support their voluntary work.
War Child asked Maria and Tania to
train parents and sta at three o their
brand new nurseries or Early Childhood
Development centres in Pader, Uganda.To deliver training that would make
sense to them, we had to know what
materials were available, says Maria. It
wouldnt make sense to use examples
or talk about situations that werent
relevant. The truth is, their reality is
completely dierent to ours.
Nowhere was this more evident than
in the childrens relationship with play.
The children have some toys donated
by western countries, but they are not
used to playing, explains Maria. They
were more amiliar with spending their
time outside, where they fnd their own
toys building cars with bits o plastic
and iron.
Some o our work there involved
explaining how we teach the children
and how they learn to play, she
adds. They really enjoyed playing
and we ound parents were equally
interested and soon took part in the
activities we were doing. You have to
remember this is a country that has
been at war or most o the past 30
years, so there are a lot o people
who have never had time or play their
entire lives.
To prepare or their workshops,
Maria and Tania were advised by the
Ugandan War Child programme to
visit the communities and ask as many
questions as possible. We talked to
the centre coordinators, along with
English-speaking parents, Maria says.
We exchanged a lot o inormation and
used this in our work.
As a result, they learned about the vitalimportance o nurseries within each
community, which in the three villages
they visited was primarily to protect
children rom harm. Parents have to
leave their children when they go to
work and, in areas where ritual murder
and child sacrifce are not unheard o,
nursery is simply the saest place or
children to stay.
Experiences like this make you reassess
many things, says Maria. Beore I only
saw these situations on TV. Now I have
a very real sense o how people live. It
makes me value the things we have here
so much more.
For Wayne Bleier at War Child, it was
also a mutually benefcial arrangement.
Maria and Tania really know what
theyre talking about, he says. They
had to use local materials and work
with the local teachers. And I know the
experience was very helpul or them
too. I hope this is just the start.
Looking to the uture, LEYF is already
working to develop a sustainable plan
to support the Ugandan project, while
Maria and Tania remain in touch withWar Child. We really started something
there in Uganda, says Maria. I would
like to go again someday and see i we
really made a dierence.
Todelivertrainingthat
wouldmakesenseto
them,Ihadtoknowwhat
materialswereavailable
MariaGoncalves,FitzroviaCommunity
Nursery
A safe placeTania greets childrenin Uganda
3
Making a difference
with War Child
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ThegreatoutdoorsTeachNursery
IsyourToddlertuckingintochipsorsardinepate?TheTimes
SteppingstoneforyoungunemployedNurseryworld
Youarewhatyoueat!BabyLondonMagazine
EarlyyearspoliciestoocrucialtodropCommunityCaremagazine
WillwelovetheBigSocietybeat?SocialEnterprisemagazine
Inthenews
theheadlines
Margaret Horn LectureEarly Intervention and the Big Society is
the theme o our Margaret Horn Lecture
this year, as always to be held on Social
Enterprise Day (Thursday, 18 November).
Intended to provoke debate, this years
keynote speaker will be Graham Allen MP,
chair o the frst independent commission
into early intervention.
Fresh ood or thoughtHighly Commended as a group in this
years Nursery World Awards, LEYF
was also fnalist in the Foodcategory.
Fighting or improved nursery ood
standards, we submitted our National
Qualifcations or Proessional Cooking
in the Early Years to City and Guilds
and have recently interviewed six
potential che apprentices. We are also
delighted to be shortlisted or this years
Good Food on the Public Plate award,
celebrating caterers with a sustainable
approach to ood.
Abbots ManorResponse has been overwhelming since
Abbots Manor Community Nursery
switched to term-time only last year.
Now ull and with 20 amilies on the
waiting list, the nursery also organised its
frst play scheme this summer.
SectortraininggetsaboostFrom delivering sta developmentprogrammes through to innovativecommunity engagement, our newCentre or Research, Learning andDevelopment (CRLD) is already provingitsel to be an invaluable resource.
When Mine Conkbayir joined LEYF to help
launch the centre last year, she was one
o only two sta members on the project.
Today, the team is six strong and the
centre oers a wide range o continuing
proessional development (CPD) courses,
based on research with our very own
nursery sta.
Amongst the many new courses on oer,
the one-year Leadership and Management
programme is accredited by the ILM, and
the team hope all uture courses will beneft
rom similar proessional recognition.
As well as oering CPD, the centre also
runs apprenticeship and youth mentoring
programmes or young people.
Many o the 30 or so students enrolled
in the centres frst three apprenticeship
programmes are aged 16-18, come
rom the local community and are no
longer in ormal education. Mine quickly
recognised that academic learning alone
was insufcient or this group. So as well as
receiving 100 per week, each apprentice
now benefts rom additional pre-
programme classes. These range rom
building trust to managing fnances, and
are crucial when it comes to them being
able to succeed in the outside world.
I recently heard a student tell another
how shed bought a laptop ater ollowing
the savings advice in our Money Matters
course, Mine explains. It makes all the
dierence when you hear theyre listening
to what we say.
The students are also encouraged to
contribute outside o the course. We
held an event to show external nurseries
what we had to oer, says Mine. Two o
our apprentices gave presentations, and
were then interviewed by Nursery World
magazine.
Beyond CPD and apprenticeships, the CRLD
also oers bespoke consultation, visiting
other nurseries to create tailored support
packages.
The eedback has been great and we
have lots o plans or the uture, says
Mine. Were moving to Churchill Gardens
Community Centre, with plans or an
ofcial launch in January 2011. We also
hope to deliver our own oundation degree
in early childhood studies next year, so its a
very exciting time.
Summer unThis summer has seen another packedprogramme o activities across ourgrowing amily o community nurseries.
For starters, an incredible 200 amilies came
to the Fun Day put together by Furzes
Children Centre and Nursery in Chadwell
Heath, Barking & Dagenham. Despite the
rain showers, the beach in the nurserygarden proved especially popular.
In August, Queensborough Community
Nursery organised a trip to Broadstairs,
which was enjoyed by parents and childrenalike. Some o the youngsters were so taken
with the seaside they quickly asked their
parents to move there!
Eastbury Children Centre Nursery celebrated
National Family Week with a busy
programme o un activities, including ace
painting, an art competition, a messy play
and stay session or the whole amily and a
story brought to lie with interactive props.
Over at Ford Road, the week included a
amily tea and strange sports day packed
with unusual events, such as bean bagsprints, bucket flling and apotato and spoon
race.
At Micky Star, dads took centre stage with
Daddies do Breakast!, arranged by the
Childrens Centre and nursery team. The
dads in question helped the children to make
a healthy breakast o porridge with berries
and delicious ruit smoothies.
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Nicola Finch was one o 12graduates on LEYFs rstApprenticeship Programme lastyear. Here she talks about herexperiences and future goals.
I started as an apprentice with
LEYF back in October 2009, based at
Marsham Street Community Nursery. I
provide children with a un and excitingexperience in the nursery, where I care
or them, carry out observations and
support them during activities.
Lie skillsI also help to teach them lie skills,
promoting their sel-worth and
confdence, so they hopeully leave
nursery and go on to become well-
balanced individuals who want to go on
to achieve great things in lie.
Although its a air way or me to
travel rom home to the nursery, I love
commuting it makes me eel mature
and independent. Some days are
incredibly stressul, but thats lie! Most
o all, I think I still enjoy my time here
because I have made such great riends
with the sta - and have built such
great relationships with the children.
Study essentialsYou have to leave personal problems at
home when you start work, and thats
fne. But its a great eeling when you
see the children are so happy to see
you and spend time with you!
Away rom the children, I even enjoy
the study too. The debates and
discussions I love them! They go
really quickly. As or me, I am more
determined than ever now to go on
to university and study to become a
primary school teacher. I love thinking
o new ways to bring out the best in
children, support their learning and help
them to grasp new concepts.
out
aboutWhatdoyoudo?NicolaFinch
Having just relocated abroad,Chris and Susanne Gargiulorecently refected on the caretheir two children received romQueensborough Community Nursery.
We had the ortune and privilege o
having both o our daughters attendthe nursery, says Susanne. Our
oldest went rom the age o 2 to 5
and our youngest rom 18 months
to 2 years. We are now moving the
amily to Denmark, and it is with a
heavy heart that we say goodbye to
Queensborough.
The nursery, explains Chris, has been
an amazing place or the children to
spend their ormative years. They have
elt happy, comortable, sae, loved and
cared or every step o the way. Our
entire amily has come to see and love
the sta as our extended amily.
The skill, knowledge and understanding
they bring to their work with young
minds has been an important and
immensely positive orce, both or the
children and us as parents.
The Gargiulos point to the high sta
retention rates at Queensborough as a
key reason or their positive experience.
The nursery is run with consistency and
creativity, says Susanne. What little
turnover weve experienced has always
been handled seamlessly and with
proper thought to the children.
I have always elt secure in theknowledge that my children were
completely sae and in the best care
possible. I would highly recommend
Queensborough Community Nursery to
any parent.
Ourentireamilyhascometoseeand
lovethestaffasourextendedfamily.
ChrisandSusanneGargiulo
5
Ihavebuiltsuch
greatrelationships
withthechildren.
NicolaFinch,MarshamStreet
CommunityNursery
My experience
ChrisandSusanneGargiulo
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Situated at the heart of a bustlingchildrens centre, with a range
of professionals including familypsychologists and speech therapistson site, Marsham Street is a thrivingand much-loved community hub forlocal families. But one group hastraditionally been conspicuous byits absence, says interim manager,Michelle Samuels: fathers.
It can be hard or a dad to walk into a
room ull o women and children, she
explains. Thats why we wanted to
break the ice. To encourage more dads
to spend time at the nursery, Marsham
Street had a Daddies Day this summer
in support o Fathers Story Week.
Held in the evening, athers, as well as
grandathers and uncles, were invited
to have un in the nursery with their
children.
It wasnt just about playing ootball,
explains Michelle. We did hand-
painting, involved them in malleable
play such as making playdough with
their child, which they got to take homeas a souvenir, and used ICT equipment
everything that the child normally does
here that they dont get to see. The
evening was a success,
and many more dads
now come to the nurseryon a regular basis.
Daddies Day is just
one example o proactive
parental engagement
at Marsham Street. One o the most
popular things we do with parents is our
story box workshops, explains Michelle.
We have a crche and invite the parents
to come in and work with us. We talk
with them and help them to create story
boxes which they then take home and
explore with their children. Its especiallygood or amilies who have moved here
recently and dont have many riends.
Marsham Street has also been looking
to broaden its childrens activities. It
began when June, our Chie Executive,
took me to the Benjamin Franklin
Museum, explains Michelle. I realised
that we do a lot o growing subjects
with the children but not chemistry or
the other sciences. I wanted to change
that.
As a result, the sta at Marsham Street
decided to run a science month a
ull month ocusing on science-based
activities with the children. At the end
o this time, they held a science air,
where children showed parents how
to do experiments, such as exploring
the wonders o cornour and volcano
eruptions.
There were two big benefts, says
Michelle. We enabled the children to get
involved in science, and we also helped
our team to eel much more comortable
in setting up a science area. It was a
huge success.
LEYF teamed up with long-term partner Time and Talents,an innovative skills-matchingvolunteering organisation, toprovide apprentices with the bestpossible preparation or the jobmarket.An award-winning, not-or-proft
partnership, Time & Talents or
Westminster transorms lives through
volunteering. Run by Volunteer Centre
Westminster, it provides community
groups with valuable time and
expertise to help them do
things they could otherwise
not do on their own.
For LEYF Fundraising
Manager Elaine Angelis,
Time & Talents proved an
invaluable resource as she
considered calling on external help to
promote employment training or LEYFs
new apprentices.
Through our own training acilities, wehave been delivering Level 3 Certifcation
in Childrens Care, Learning and
Development, says Elaine. With some o
our apprentices coming near to the end o
their training, we knew that fnding a job
would be their next priority.
This is where Time & Talents came in.
Through Volunteer Centre Westminster,
Elaine was able to access a specialist
trainer via the Home Ofce, who worked
with the apprentices and gave them
advice on seeking employment. This workincluded tuition on applications, essential
dos and donts, mentoring and mock
interviews.
outabout
Itcanbehardor
adadtowalkintoa
roomullowomen
andchildrenMarshamStreetCo
mmunity
Nurseryinterimmanager,
MichelleSamuels
Parent engagementDads dive in with arange o projects
Nurseryprofle
MarshamStreet
CommunityNursery
CompanyprofleTime&Talentsfor
Westminster
Iamgladtobeinvolvedinsuch
aworthwhileprojectandIreallydohopethetrainingdaysp
rove
usefultotheapprentices.
Humaira,volunteerfromtheHome
Ofce(HRteam/Psychologist)
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Every month, undraising activitycontinues to help LEYF grow.
Funds or our campaign A Better Future
have continued to grow in the past six
months. Donations have come in rom
the S.F.I.A Educational Trust (1,000),John Lewis (5,000), Westminster
Amalgamated Charity (7,500), The
Drapers Company (4,000), The Charles
Wolson Charitable Trust (8,000) and
o course proceeds rom Ray Holdens
Marathon Run (1,058). So ar we have
been able to provide our amilies with
childcare, helping them to access training
or look or work, securing a better uture
or them and their amily.
Elsewhere Katharine Bruce are moving
ahead with their sensory studio which willprovide a sae and stimulating setting or
the children to explore and so develop.
The acility will be designed with a wide
range o equipment such as a bubble
column, fbre optics, tactile panels,
sound to light units and wall and oor
cushioning. This is all thanks to unding
rom The Presidents Club Charitable Trust
(8,000), BBC Children in Need (8,000)
and The Goldsmiths Company (3,000).
We received a urther 6,691, this
time rom Land Securities, enabling
us to provide IT equipment, dyslexia
resources and additional specialist
childcare and development books or
our apprenticeship programme. We
also received 8,800 rom the Britannia
Foundation or literacy and numeracy
training, which will help apprentices
acquire more confdence and skills.
Back in the nursery, Micky Star benefted
rom a number o donations, including3,000 rom Strand Parishes Trust or
outdoor play equipment, 272 rom
New West End Company or sensory
resources and 250 rom City o
Westminster Charitable Trust or under 2s
equipment.
Meanwhile, Barking & Dagenham,
Camden and Westminster Childrens
Centre unding has enabled us to
improve the quality o our nursery andHead Ofce environments.
Rolls Royce recently donated 1,500 or
outings, John Lewis continue to give help
and advice to our Sta Forum, whilst
our employee volunteers rom Nike took
children rom Bessborough to Vauxhall
City Farm in July.
Finally, we were ortunate to receive
almost 13,000 or ever-critical running
costs.
Reaching out tosocial enterpriseWhen the national body or
social enterprise needed to nd avenue or a sta away day, LEYFanswered the call.
We oten do a mix o team-building
activities and strategic work on our sta
away days, says Olo Jonsdottir, Policy
Ofcer at the Social Enterprise Coalition
(SEC). This year, we thought itd be
good to do some cooking and make our
own lunch a un way to do some team-
building.
The problem or Olo was where tofnd suitable kitchen acilities or the
16-strong SEC team. I immediately
thought o schools and nurseries,
she says. I do a lot o work in young
services here and have worked with LEYF
beore. I remembered going to an event
last year and Neil [Hart] talking about
what they were doing to improve ood
standards. So I called him up.
Ater contacting some o the nurseries,it was decided that Katharine Bruce
was most suitable. Che David Neil was
not only happy to let the group into his
kitchen; he was actively involved on the
day with advice on what to cook and
help on how to do it.
It turned out brilliantly, says Olo. June
[OSullivan] also suggested we do some
activities in the nursery, so we broke into
two teams and took turns cooking and
then playing with the children getting
busy with gardening and crat making.
For LEYF this was not only a useul way
to bring in additional revenue, but also a
chance to reach out to the wider social
enterprise community. SEC, meanwhile,
enjoyed a great away day or their sta
and gained a valuable insight into how
LEYF works.
Being the Social Enterprise Coalition,
were always talking about the brilliantthings that social enterprises do,
explains Olo. So it was really nice or
us to actually see one in action and be
there while it was working.
Fundraisingor
connected
A bigthank you!
Team buildingSEC appreciateculinary talents
7
In the Spring edition oLEYF News, we stated
that afliate members o The Westminster
Collection receive discounts on venues. This was
incorrect and we apologise or any conusion.
Helping handsFitzrovia and The AmericanSchool in London
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1. Early learning
Physical activities arent just good or
developing basic movement skills; they
also help to orm positive and long term
physical activity habits, such as physical
play and walking, early in lie.
2. Water babies
Whether youre splashing around in
the pool or taking a specialist course,
swimming is a rewarding and unexercise or young children.
3. Create space
Ofcial guidelines (NASPE, 2002)
suggest that children aged 35 should
build up 60 minutes o structured
physical activity every day, with regular
access to indoor and outdoor areas
where they have enough space to
perorm large muscle activities. Whilst
the same obviously cannot be expected
o babies or toddlers, it is never too soonto start the physical activity ball rolling
and your child will love it!
4. Win, win
We all know that regular exercise
improves balance, increases
coordination, builds strength, and
improves overall health or children
and adults alike. But did you now that
exercise also helps to relieve stress,
decrease anxiety, and helps to ward o
depression.
5. Ask at the nurserySta at any good nursery will be well
aware o the importance o physical
activity and acilitate your childs
movement skills based on their age and
ability.
With obesity and diabetes-related illnesses on the rise in children andadults, it has never been more important to consciously encourage
children to take part in physical activities. Here are ve great ways toget you started.
connectedGetout,get
activeand
getinvolved
Dontforget...
London Early Years Foundation121 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4LX
www.ley.org.ukEmail: [email protected]
Tel: 020 7834 8679
Registered charity number: 299686
Fivereasonswhychildrenshouldbedo
ing
therightamountophysicalactivity.
Toptips
Childrenaged35shouldbuildup60minutesofstructuredphysicalactivityeveryday.NationalAssociationforSportandPhysicalEducation(NASPE)
A better utureor Londons children
Heres a round-up o upcomingdates or your diary.
Calendar datesHalloween31 October
Guy Fawkes (Bonre Night)5 November
Diwali festival of lights5 November
Remembrance Day11 November
Remembrance Sunday14 November
LEYF Strategy & Development Day15 November
Eid al Adha (Festival of Sacrice)17 November
Social Enterprise Day18 November
LEYF Margaret Horn Lecture18 November
UN Universal Childrens Day20 November
International Volunteer Day5 December
LEYF Sta Forum10 December
Christmas Holidays begin(Westminster & Camden schools)20 December
Christmas Holidays begin(Barking & Dagenham schools)23 December
Bank Holidays27-28 December, 3 January
LEYF Christmas Closure29-31 December
LEYF News is your newsletter.I you think you, your child or your
nursery should eature on these
pages, do let us know. Wed love to
hear rom you i you have a story to
tell. You can contact us at our headofce address opposite.
LEYF News is a biannual newsletter published bythe London Early Years Foundation. This edition waswritten together with journalists at Society Media,(www.societymedia.co.uk) and designed and printedby Captiv8 (www.captiv8uk.com).
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