A national early language training programme has been successful in
boosting the communication skills of two to three-year-olds.

The programme, run by children's communication charity I CAN and funded by the Department for Education (DfE), has increased awareness, knowledge and confidence among early years practitioners, with a knock-on effect on children's speech and language.

The aim of the Early Language Development Programme (ELDP) was to support language and communication skills in under-threes through a nationwide training programme. Originally funded by the DfE between 2011 and 2014, it was funded for another year due to the emerging evidence of the positive effects of the scheme.

An evaluation by researchers from the University of Sheffield and the Office for Public Management looked at the impact on practitioners, parents and children, and changes to practice in early years settings.

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