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Reflective Parenting (antenatal), Training, Healthy PEEP, Parent accreditation, Inter-generation, Australia...
Spring 2014
Hello - Our PEEP Newsletter provides updates and ideas for practitioners and managers who work with parents and carers to support their children's learning. We'd love to hear your PEEP ideas, experiences or questions too, so do get in touch: newsletter@peep.org.uk 

Reflective Parenting (antenatal) Programme and Training - NEW

Research shows that healthy parent-infant attachment relationships lead to better outcomes for children. Our Reflective Parenting programme works with parents from pregnancy, and focuses explicitly on developing attachment and parents' ability to tune into their baby’s feelings and respond sensitively. The programme and accompanying training were developed in collaboration with Professor Jane Barlow and colleagues at the University of Warwick.

Our next Reflective Parenting Training course for practitioners will be held in Oxford on 12-13 May, or contact us if you'd like to arrange a course in your area. Thanks to everyone who attended the training in Edinburgh and Birkenhead recently - lots of enthusiasm and engagement!

Recent Sutton Trust research reinforcing this message, and PEEP Reflective Parenting were discussed on Woman's Hour on Radio 4 recently - read more or listen to the podcast.
  Newborn baby communicating with mum

PEEP in practice: Healthy PEEP, Outdoor PEEP and Water PEEP
One of the best things about the PEEP programme is the flexible ways it can be used to support children's learning in everyday life. PEEP-trained practitioners using the PEEP principles and approach can adapt or add to the programme to meet the needs of their local families.

We've just uploaded 3 sets of session plans to the log-in Practitioner Area on our website that you're welcome to use: 
  • Water PEEP takes place in the swimming pool, making it ideal for a focus on communication and movement. It  involves singing, playing and sharing bath-time books in the swimming pool followed by talk time and a snack.
     
  • Outdoor PEEP provides lots of opportunities for parents/carers and children to do similar things outside, whatever the weather - minus the swimming (unless everyone's feeling hardy), plus stomping around in the grass, woods or mud, exploring exciting sights, sounds, smells and sensations. (developed in Aberdeen and Midlothian)
     
  • Healthy PEEP involves indoor and outdoor physical activities, stories and songs, thinking about big and small movements (developing gross and fine motor skills), healthy eating and more. (developed in Aberdeen)
You'll also find session plans for Transition PEEP (into pre-school, nursery or school), Sensory SEN PEEP, Antenatal PEEP for drug-using parents and Childminder PEEP - as well as our 'standard' age-related session plans for babies to fours and mixed age.

PEEP in Practice: Victoria, Australia  
18 months ago we started partnership work with early years / family support colleagues in Victoria, Australia. A couple of our PEEP trainers went over to deliver an Aussie version of PEEP for Practitioners training with practitioners and managers from the Tomorrow: Today Foundation and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in Benalla, and from Community Services in Murrindindi.
 
Now, Benalla's PEEP program has been recognised by Victoria’s Deputy Premier as a leader in its field. "It's wonderful because it gives recognition to the fact that Benalla is staging a whole community approach to our children's learning," said Pat Claridge, Education Program Manager for the Tomorrow:Today Foundation. "It is a prime example of what a community can do when it gets together."
Read more about PEEP groups in Australia.

PEEP in practice: Inter-generational session in Edinburgh
A Baby PEEP group and an over 50s group, who use the same Community Centre in Gilmerton, Edinburgh, joined up for a singing and story session. As they sang, the different generations reminded each other of nursery rhymes and traditional songs they knew from their own childhoods. Such a good time was had by all that they decided to meet up every term, followed by a snack and more time to chat in the centre's cafe. Read more

We thought this was a great example of the community aspect of PEEP. Do let us know if your PEEP work has led to any wider links or unexpected outcomes - your experience might inspire other PEEP practitioners and families! Contact Charlotte on tel 01865 397976 or email newsletter@peep.org.uk.
PEEP in Practice: Parent Accreditation, Derby

Carol Gotheridge, Family Learning and PEEP Co-ordinator, Derby City Council:
95 Derby parents who had completed PEEP OCN (Open College Network) portfolios were awarded their certificates at one of our annual Derby PEEP Celebration Events recently. The events are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the families and the practitioners who supported them, and to hear how parents/ carers were continuing to use ideas they had gained from attending the PEEP sessions.

Parents’ comments included:
  • ‘PEEP has given me a new light into how my daughter learns and also how much fun it is to join in with your child’s play.’
  • ‘My family wouldn't be where they are now without PEEP.’
  • ‘My confidence was very, very low at the start of the course. I began to learn so much - things I didn't know about children. My life has changed so much. I now sing with my boys. I get down to their level on the floor and join in their play. We have so much fun. Although I know I was a good mum before, I am an even better mum now.’ 

Creating a PEEP portfolio/memory book in which parents reflect on things that they and their child do together can really raise parents' awareness of how valuable their role is in their child's learning. For some parents and carers, gaining accreditation through OCN or SQA (in Scotland) is a stepping stone to another course to further their own learning. And families have the portfolio as a lasting memento to look at together. 

PEEP-trained practitioners can deliver the parent accreditation within their existing PEEP delivery. Follow the link for a brief summary of PEEP parent accreditation; for detail about how to get going log in to the Practitioner Area.
Working with South Asian Families training - Research shows that parents talking with their baby in their mother tongue is the most effective way for them to become a confident talker - both in their home language/s and other languages such as English. Our new one-day training course focuses on respecting, valuing and building on the cultural similarities and differences when engaging and working with South Asian families. Contact us to find out more.

PEEP Training for practitioners and managers working with families include:

PEEP for Practitioners with City & Guilds accreditation - Ashford nr Heathrow 29-30 May, Bristol 23-24 July more...

Reflective Parenting (antenatal) Oxford 12-13 May (see opposite for details)

Managers' Introduction to PEEP - Free 2-3 hour session for organisations or areas which are using or thinking about using the PEEP programme.

For more information about other training dates or about holding a PEEP training course in your area please contact Marie, our Training Manager, on Tel 01865 397974 or training@peep.org.uk.  
Fantastic opportunity to join the PEEP training team
We are currently looking for people to join our team of freelance PEEP trainers who deliver training in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more, and you have:
  • experience and qualifications in working with families and teaching adults,
  • some knowledge of the PEEP programme.
Phone Marie, PEEP Training Manager, on 01865 397974 or email training@peep.org.uk giving your phone number and brief details of why you would like to work for PEEP, and we will get back to you.
 
Have your say!
PEEP Practitioners are often keen to know what PEEP practitioners in other areas are doing - so let us know about your work with families and we'll share it! Contact us at newsletter@peep.org.uk, via our Facebook page or our Twitter account (links above), or call us on 01865 397976.

Practitioner Network Meetings - get in touch in the same way if you'd like to find out more about attending or setting up a PEEP Practitioner Network Meeting in your area, to share PEEP ideas face to face with colleagues.

We're also planning an update to our Website - so do let us know if there's anything you'd like us to change, add or keep.
Copyright © 2014 PEEP, All rights reserved.
PEEP works with parents and carers to support their children's learning.
Parents Early Education Partnership (PEEP) is a registered charity no. 1144975 in England/ Wales and no. SCO44031 in Scotland, and a company limited by guarantee no. 7514469
Our mailing address is: newsletter@peep.org.uk
The PEEP Centre, PO Box 1404, Oxford OX4 6XW