Since it launched in 2005, the Parents, Early Years and Learning (PEAL) programme has been delivered to around 9,000 participants, involving over a third of local authorities. PEAL training, which is delivered by the Early Childhood Unit of the National Children's Bureau, aims to inspire and equip practitioners to increase the involvement of parents and families in their young children's early learning and development.
Speaking at Talk to Your Baby's annual conference in London last week, Helen Wheeler, principal officer at the NCB Early Childhood Unit, said the scheme's impact was achieving long-term benefits.
'Evidence from practice and small scale evaluations highlight that children benefit from greater parental engagement,' she said. 'It has been demonstrated that parents initiate conversations more and talk is more focused on learning. When parents play and interact with children, they become more absorbed, showing more interest and improved behaviour.'
Three key ideas underpin PEAL:
- Communicating with parents about the importance of the early home and learning environment is everyone's responsibility and is about building parents' confidence
- Early years settings need to establish a two-way flow of information and observation
- Respectful relationships must be in place for this to succeed.
TRAINING OPTIONS
PEAL offers a one-day training option suitable for all practitioners which can be organised flexibly, with individuals from a range of settings and services, and potentially advisors or managers.
A two-day event, facilitated by two PEAL trainers, is targeted at those with leadership responsibilities across a local authority or organisation. It enables planning for a strategic approach to PEAL and can be tailored to local needs.
Participants can seek accreditation for a City & Guilds qualification on submission of a portfolio. PEAL is a unit (Work with parents to engage them in their children's early learning) of the Level 3 Work with Parents award. Further units can be undertaken to achieve the complete qualification.