A partnership between Every Child A Talker and a community theatre company has helped parents and practitioners get more in tune with children's language development, says Sian McDermott, early years consultant teacher for Enfield Council.

Every Child A Talker (ECAT), the National Strategies programme for supporting young children's language development, has been running in the London Borough of Enfield for 18 months. The project aims to reduce the number of children who may be at risk of a speech and language delay by supporting their communication skills through play in early years settings and by helping parents to develop talk at home. Enfield was one of the first boroughs to deliver ECAT and it has enjoyed the benefits of this worthwhile initiative.

The programme was led by two early language consultants, a speech and language therapist and myself, and involved 32 settings, including schools, pre-schools, daycare settings, children's centres and childminders.

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