Baby Sensory Services for Children's Centres

Baby Sensory is keen to work with Sure Start teams throughout the country to support the excellent work which is being done to bring communities together.  A number of our Class Leaders have run sessions at their local Children's Centre. 

Baby Sensory programme for Children's Centres

Due to the popularity of these sessions we have introduced a special version of the Baby Sensory programme which can be run under licence by Children's Centres.  This package includes training in the Baby Development techniques used, equipment and lesson plans all of which have been designed to meet the specific needs of these centres.

This programme has been a great success at our first two Children's Centres which are the Barnardo's Children's Centres in Bournemouth.  Sessions have been held at two centres, Stokewood Children’s Centre in Winton and the St Michaels Satellite in Westbourne . These have  both received enormous interest from parents and both settings have a waiting list for their next programme which will commence in June 08.   Both of these centres have elected to run two programmes (20 babies per programme) to cater for the demand.  Josie Pyke who was responsible for implementing the programme for Barnardo's said "We are delighted with the way the Baby Sensory programme has attracted parents and young babies into their new centres and that these families are then returning to the Centre for other activities."  A full case study will be published on this site in the near future.  Read Josie's testimonial on our testimonials page. 

Baby Sensory are now working closely with Barnardo's to ensure the programme supports their aim to attract the harder to reach groups.

To find out how you can run Baby Sensory classes at your Children's Centre please call Ian Sharland on 01344 412072 or e-mail earlyyears@babysensory.co.uk. 

Parents Comments

"Since I have been coming to the Baby Sensory classes I have felt more relaxed with my little girl.  I sing the songs when we are at home before she goes to sleep".

"Babies liked the tempo of the session, they never lost interest.  I like the way that the developmental facts were explained to the parents i.e. language".

Meeting the Children's Centre core offer guidelines

The programme has made a direct impact on a number of the key measures for Children’s Centres.  These include:

Information and advice on Parenting – In addition to the parenting advice incorporated in the Baby Sensory programme, families have regular contact with the Children Centre staff who are trained to advise on child development and can signpost to services for further support.

Identification and support for those suffering from Post Natal Depression – Through attending and enjoying sessions, bonding is likely to improve.  Barnardo’s have reserved 10 places on each programme for families referred by local professionals.

Early identification of children with special needs and disabilities – Through this specialist programme, babies demonstrating difficulties in areas of development can be easily identified and lesson plans can be adapted to meet their needs.

Increased parental understanding of their child’s development – Each class includes an element of parent input in order to provide direct teaching around baby development.

Increase involvement of Fathers – Barnardo’s is planning to introduce Baby Sensory classes for Dad’s when they come into the Children’s Centre for any ante-natal sessions. 

Early Education – The Baby Sensory sessions will contribute to the babies’ development through teaching parents how to play and interact with their baby. 

Baby Development Workshops

Baby Sensory founder Dr Lin Day is available for inspirational talks and workshops to people working in the Early Years Sector.  These workshops are generally themed around the subjects covered in her highly regarded series of articles in the Early Years Educator (EYE) magazine but can also be tailored to meet the needs of a specific audience.

These workshops will leave your team inspired, full of enthusiasm and armed with a range of ideas to ensure that the time they spend with parents and babies is even more productive.

Themes include:

Sensory Baby 

Sensory experiences are all-important in the first year of life. Inadequate stimulation of the senses leads to a much lesser development of neural connections between the brain cells. Complementing theory and current research, Dr. Day discusses how babies learn through their senses and suggests ways in which parents and practitioners can lead their learning forwards.

The Development of Walking

The first two years of life are unlike any other period in human physical development. The drive to become a biped is very powerful and a number of theories have been put forward to explain why babies go to such lengths to achieve this skill. Dr. Day uncovers the extraordinary processes which babies undergo before learning to walk upright.  Perhaps the most astonishing phenomenon of all is the ‘Walking Reflex’, which is thought to be a template for later walking. Exactly why babies learn to walk upright remains an enigma, but some scientists believe it to be an evolutionary response to an aquatic existence during the transition from ape to hominid.

To book Dr. Day to speak at your Early Years event, please contact Ian Sharland on 01344 412072 or e-mail earlyyears@babysensory.co.uk.