National Year of Communication - Talking Tots
Talking Tots Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme is excited to be involved in the National Year of Communication, which begins in January.
The aim of the National Year is to help all children and young people fulfil their potential through better communication and was originally proposed in John Bercow’s 2008 Review of Services for Children and Young People 0-19 with Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
“75 percent of heads of nurseries and schools admitting three-year-olds have noticed a significant decline in children’s language competence at entry over the last five years.” National Association of Head Teachers
At a recent event attended by Talking Tots franchise owner Neroli Oakley, Stoke Speaks Out presented evidence that a very high percentage of 3 year olds in the city are failing their Early Years Communication Checks, suggesting that they could suffer Communication and Literacy Difficulties in later life. A worrying number of young adults in Stoke on Trent have the literacy levels of a 12 year old.
“…one in ten children in the U.K (approximately one million) have a speech or language difficulty...
In Stoke on Trent the figure is much higher than this - evidence from Sure Start local programmes suggests that more than half of the children in Stoke on Trent are at risk of a language or speech delay. This will impact significantly on the child's ability to learn and on future opportunities in life” Stoke Speaks Out
There are a range of excellent services such as Stoke Speaks Out and Children’s Centres provided by the local authorities in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire that hope to address these problems. Talking Tots is working with these services to deliver its unique pre-school communication classes at subsidised prices.
However many of these are now in danger of closure due to cuts imposed by the recent Government Spending Review.
“Talking Tots is keen to be a positive contributor to the unified and inclusive effort to provide support services in the area to all Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire’s residents” said Neroli Oakley. “This is only possible through the goodwill and constant support of agencies such as Libraries, Community Learning Partnerships, Stoke Speaks out and Children’s Centres.”
About Talking Tots
Talking Tots is the UK’s fastest growing pre-school activity franchise and was awarded “Best Innovation for 2008” at the What's on 4 Little Ones Awards, and was highly commended in the “Best Toddler Development Class” category.
To find your local Talking Tots class, please visit our website at www.talkingtots.info/stoke or contact Talking Tots on 07876 506557.
For enquiries about this article, please contact Neroli Oakley on 07876 506557 or roly@talkingtots.info.
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