Just hours before she’s set to join Prince William and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at this weekend’s Trooping the Colour, the Princess of Wales made an announcement through her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
On Friday, the Centre revealed it is to fund an innovative new pilot program, ‘Happy Little Minds,’ designed to revolutionise how mental health experts can support babies and young children’s social and emotional development within early education settings.
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This groundbreaking initiative is a powerful collaboration between two leading children’s charities, Barnardo’s and Place2Be.
Through Happy Little Minds, mental health practitioners will provide bespoke training and ongoing consultation about social and emotional development for nearly 50 early education practitioners across two nurseries in Tower Hamlets and Hackney.
Crucially, they will also offer guidance for parents and directly work with some children and families. It’s expected that around 150 babies, young children, and their families will directly benefit from this vital 12-month pilot, which started this month.
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The Princess of Wales has long championed the critical importance of social and emotional development, understanding its fundamental role in ensuring babies and young children are mentally healthy, both in the short term and for the long-lasting impact on the rest of their lives.
Earlier this year, The Centre for Early Childhood published The Shaping Us Framework, aimed at improving awareness and knowledge about these essential skills to inspire action across society.
This framework, alongside other resources from the Centre, will be integral to the training and support provided to staff in the Happy Little Minds pilot.
Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood said: “Early education and childcare settings can play such an important and influential role in supporting children and their families at such a vital time, in all sorts of ways.
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“If settings are well-supported to promote social and emotional development in babies and young children, there is huge potential to positively impact all children, and for early intervention and prevention of future mental health conditions in those most at risk, which could be truly transformational both for individuals and society.”
“Place2Be and Barnardo’s have such a wealth of experience to offer, and this pilot is an important step forward in understanding more about how this can be delivered to best effect.”
Hrh Catherine Princess of Wales- nutrition for the well being of each child and parent is essential to impact their lives. Times are changing so very FAST FOR FAMILIES IN NEED. A WELL PLANNED WEEK OF MEALS WOULD TAKE THE WEIGHT OF AO MUCH WORRY OFF A PARENT. HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE @ HOME FROM SCHOOL ON BREAK WITH NO FOOD IN THEIR HOMES.?