Developed in collaboration with Speech and Language Therapists and adapted from the National Literacy Trust’s existing Early Words Together model, the First Words Together programme responds to growing evidence that the foundations of language and communication are laid even before children begin to speak.
Key findings
The most recent external evaluation of the programme conducted by the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC) found that the programme has led to:
- increased parent confidence and understanding in supporting their child’s early speech and language development and in their parenting practices more generally.
- enhanced, language-enriched home learning environments reported by parents, particularly with regards to parent/child talk and book sharing.
- improved early speech and language skills of children and improved personal and social skills of the children, as reported by parents and practitioners.
- increased practitioner understanding of communication and language development of one year olds and the importance of the home learning environment, and increased confidence to share key activities and information about the programme with parents and better equipped to improve parents’ confidence to support their child’s development at home.
On top of the benefits for parents, children and practitioners, First Words Together was successfully integrated into local provision pathways and strengthened colaborative practice between local practitioners.