Entitled 'Smile, Talk and Listen', this year's Talk to Your Baby conference (18 October) will explore the findings of research projects on early communication. It is attracting a wide range of delegates, spanning children's centre managers and teachers, early years consultants, speech and language therapists, early years librarians, outreach workers and many involved in Every Child A Talker.
'Communication is everyone's business and practitioners will find much to help them in their work,' says Talk to Your Baby manager Liz Attenborough.
Dr Kathy Goouch of Canterbury Christ Church University will talk about the Baby Room Project (see page 22), which has worked with local practitioners to examine how they practise in their baby rooms.
Giving the right messages to new parents about how they can communicate effectively with their babies has been the focus of Talk to Your Baby's Face to Face project, which will be discussed by Liz Attenborough. She says, 'It's a tricky balance to ensure that not only do new parents take the messages on board but that they also act upon them. At conference we will be launching the final report of our focus group research.'
Five local areas will detail their strategic work to address early years communication, language and literacy. This includes Leicester's Talk Matters strategy, launched in 2008. As part of the programme, first-time mothers are learning during anteand postnatal sessions at their local children's centre about the importance of talking to their baby. It will also outline the Discovering Babies programme, due to run in every children's centre by 2011, that aims to enhance the language environment for children, both at home and in childcare settings.
Sheffield and Wiltshire will be giving a joint presentation about their work as part of the Partners in Literacy project. Through this, the National Literacy Trust is working with local authorities to develop a strategic and co-ordinated approach to literacy, with a focus on literacy in the home.
Nursery World is the media partner for the Talk to Your Baby conference, taking place at Church House, London SW1P 3NZ, on Monday, 18 October.
www.literacytrust.org.uk/talk_to_your_baby
