Early Childhood Development in England

In 2003 the U.K. government published a policy document called "Every Child Matters" following a horrific high profile abuse case. It outlines a program of support for children and their caretakers from birth to age 19. It has policies on education, safety, health, happiness and doing good in society. Early childhood development is closely monitored and structured to give children the best chance of growing up to lead happy and fulfilled lives.

Physical Development

• A health visitor from the NHS (National Health Service) is assigned to every child from birth to the age of 5; the visitor oversee the child's development. Visits are frequent in the early weeks less often as the child grows older and stronger. The health visitor checks that the child is eating well and encourages mothers to breastfeed. Growth and development is recorded on charts that compare average rates for the child's age. Parents can contact health visitors whenever they need advice.

Play

• The U.K. government sees play as a very important part of learning. Parents are encouraged to interact with their children from birth. There are numerous parent and child groups that meet in church halls and community centers and offer friendship, advice and a chance for your child to mix with and play alongside other children. The national "Sure Start" scheme operates family centers across the country and offers a program of activities including play sessions, parenting classes and toy libraries.

Education

• Every 3-year-old is offered a fully funded place at a nursery or preschool for 15 hours per week. Some early-years settings take children from as young as 2 and one-half years. Children benefit from three hours of structured play, developing relationships with other children and learning basic social skills that will prepare them for school. The sessions are voluntary but many children find the transition to school much easier if they have attended preschool. The sessions take place at primary schools, church halls and at private day care nurseries, which receive government funding. They are inspected by Ofsted, a government standards agency.

Health

• Vaccinations against common childhood diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and meningitis C are offered to all children from the age of two months. At 13 months, children are offered the first of two jabs against MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination. The second comes at 4 years old. Children's health is reviewed by health visitors at set intervals until they start school. Growth, weight, behavior, language, vision and hearing are all checked. Any problems are referred to a doctor.

Special Educational Needs

• Children with a disability may qualify for extra help. Health visitors, doctors and teachers can offer advice and support and help parents apply for a special educational needs (SEN) assessment. Local government officials will send you a formal statement explaining the support they plan to provide and suggest which school will offer the best education for the child's needs. If you are refused and want to appeal the decision you can attend a special educational needs and disability tribunal.