Children's Centres
Baby Sensory Services for Children's Centres
Baby Sensory is keen to work with Sure Start teams throughout the
country to support the excellent work which is being done to bring
communities together. A number of our
Class Leaders have run sessions at their local Children's Centre.
Baby Sensory programme for Children's Centres
Due to the popularity of these sessions we have introduced a special
version of the Baby Sensory programme which can be run under licence by
Children's Centres. This package includes training in the Baby
Development techniques used, equipment and lesson plans all of which
have been designed to meet the specific needs of these centres.
This programme has been a great success at our first two Children's
Centres which are the Barnardo's Children's Centres in Bournemouth.
Sessions have been held at two centres, Stokewood Children’s Centre in
Winton and the St Michaels Satellite in Westbourne . These have both
received enormous interest from parents and both settings have a
waiting list for their next programme which will commence in June 08.
Both of these centres have elected to run two programmes (20 babies per
programme) to cater for the demand. Josie Pyke who was responsible for
implementing the programme for Barnardo's said "We are delighted with
the way the Baby Sensory programme has attracted parents and young
babies into their new centres and that these families are then
returning to the Centre for other activities." A full case study will
be published on this site in the near future.
Read Josie's testimonial.
Baby Sensory are now working closely with Barnardo's to ensure the
programme supports their aim to attract the harder to reach groups.
To find out how you can run Baby Sensory classes at your Children's Centre please contact your local Class Leader.
Parents Comments
"Since I have been coming to the Baby Sensory classes I have felt
more relaxed with my little girl. I sing the songs when we are at home
before she goes to sleep".
Meeting the Children's Centre core offer guidelines
The programme has made a direct impact on a number of the key measures for Children’s Centres. These include:
Information and advice on Parenting
In addition to the parenting advice incorporated in the Baby Sensory
programme, families have regular contact with the Children Centre staff
who are trained to advise on child development and can signpost to
services for further support.
Identification and support for those suffering from Post Natal Depression
– Through attending and enjoying sessions, bonding is likely to
improve. Barnardo’s have reserved 10 places on each programme for
families referred by local professionals.
Early identification of children with special needs and disabilities – Through
this specialist programme, babies demonstrating difficulties in areas
of development can be easily identified and lesson plans can be adapted
to meet their needs.
Increased parental understanding of their child’s development – Each class includes an element of parent input in order to provide direct teaching around baby development.
Increase involvement of Fathers – Barnardo’s is planning to
introduce Baby Sensory classes for Dad’s when they come into the
Children’s Centre for any ante-natal sessions.
Early Education – The Baby Sensory sessions will contribute to
the babies’ development through teaching parents how to play and
interact with their baby.
Baby Development Workshops
Baby Sensory founder Dr Lin Day is available for inspirational talks
and workshops to people working in the Early Years Sector. These
workshops are generally themed around the subjects covered in her
highly regarded series of articles in the Early Years Educator (EYE)
magazine but can also be tailored to meet the needs of a specific
audience.
These workshops will leave your team inspired, full of enthusiasm and
armed with a range of ideas to ensure that the time they spend with
parents and babies is even more productive.
Themes include:
Sensory Baby
Sensory experiences are all-important in the first year of life.
Inadequate stimulation of the senses leads to a much lesser development
of neural connections between the brain cells. Complementing theory and
current research, Dr. Day discusses how babies learn through their
senses and suggests ways in which parents and practitioners can lead
their learning forwards.
The Development of Walking
The first two years of life are unlike any other period in human
physical development. The drive to become a biped is very powerful and
a number of theories have been put forward to explain why babies go to
such lengths to achieve this skill. Dr. Day uncovers the extraordinary
processes which babies undergo before learning to walk upright.
Perhaps the most astonishing phenomenon of all is the ‘Walking Reflex’,
which is thought to be a template for later walking. Exactly why babies
learn to walk upright remains an enigma, but some scientists believe it
to be an evolutionary response to an aquatic existence during the
transition from ape to hominid.