Why target early years?

Strong association between a child's language skills and the verbal stimulation they receive from their parents in first 3 years of life.

Disparities in child language abilities are clearly recognizable in the 2nd year of life.

Providing early support to children and young people can reduce the likelihood of severe problems later in life, which could cost an estimated £16.6bn a year.

The most recent survey from the Institute of Health Visiting found that 74% of health visitors have seen a rise in the number of children with SLCN.

Health visitors have an important role in supporting early identification of children with SLCN; however, the same survey reported a loss of around 2,000 posts in the two years since health visiting moved to local authorities. With such a reduction in numbers of health visitors, we risk missing even more cases.

#earlyyearscommunication #targetingcommunications