What is Start Well?
Working together with families and communities to give children the best start in life.
'Give your child the best start in life. You make all the difference'.
Start Well brings together services that work with families to support children’s development from pre-birth to 5 years and help them to get ready for school. We work together with services to make sure that your child receives the right support at the right time to help their development.
Specialist support and early help may also be provided by other services.
Getting ready for school
Getting ready for school starts before birth and continues to the age of 5. Being ‘school ready’ means that your child is ready to take part in learning experiences when they start primary school. This encourages children to become lifelong learners.
All children have different needs and abilities. Supporting your child at an early age will help them to reach their full potential and become ready for school.
You can support your child in and around the home by giving access to toys and books and encouraging relationships with parents and family members.
This will help to support your child’s early social, emotional, physical, communication and language development.
The importance of speech, language and communication
Language and communication skills are the building blocks of all learning. Without these skills, it’s harder for children to make friends, learn to read and write and learn number skills.
When a child starts school, they should be able to talk to friends and teachers. They should also be able to understand what's being said to them and ask simple questions.
If you’re worried about your child or you have any questions about their development, you can ask your Health Visitor, early years setting, or call in at a Start Well site.
You can find more information on the Start Well website.
