- What is Talking Together in Cambridgeshire?
- Why Talking Together in Cambridgeshire matters
- How is Talking Together in Cambridgeshire taking place across the county?
- Where can I join Talking Together in Cambridgeshire sessions and get involved as a parent or carer?
- I am a family-facing practitioner in Cambridgeshire. How can I become trained and involved in Talking Together in Cambridgeshire?
- Ideas for practice
What is Talking Together in Cambridgeshire?
Supporting early communication, language and literacy development
Talking Together in Cambridgeshire is a community-focused initiative dedicated to improving outcomes for children from birth to five years old. Our core aim is to enhance awareness, knowledge, and understanding across Cambridgeshire communities about how to support young children’s communication, language, and literacy development.
Established by the Cambridgeshire Early Years, Childcare, and School Readiness Service in 2018, Talking Together in Cambridgeshire adopts a collaborative, place-based approach that encourages communities to actively engage in children’s learning. By empowering families and local organisations to build on their understanding of child development and the vital role adults play in early learning, we are strengthening the foundations of communication and language skills in the early years.
Why Talking Together in Cambridgeshire matters
In some areas of Cambridgeshire, children are not achieving the same educational outcomes as their peers elsewhere in the county. A key contributing factor is that many children begin school without the expected levels of communication, language, and literacy development.
We believe that “It takes a village to raise a child.” That is why we work in partnership with families, services, and organisations to address these challenges collectively. Everyone in the community has a role to play in supporting children’s early development.
How is Talking Together in Cambridgeshire taking place across the county?
Our approach
We regularly engage with individuals and organisations across Cambridgeshire to better understand local needs and priorities. We are always keen to build new connections. If you are interested in collaborating or learning more about our work, including our new Community Outreach Service, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Where can I join Talking Together in Cambridgeshire sessions and get involved as a parent or carer?
- Parent resources: Explore our curated materials, including those from our Festival of Stories, to support storytelling and language-rich experiences.
- 50 Things to Do | Local Events: For more information about events happening near you.
- Facebook: Follow our page for tips, resources, and fun activities designed to support children from birth to age five in developing communication, language, and literacy skills.
I am a family-facing practitioner in Cambridgeshire. How can I become trained and involved in Talking Together in Cambridgeshire?
As part of the Community Outreach Service, we offer a range of professional development courses focused on communication, language, and literacy. Full details of our training offer can be found in the Communication, language, and literacy section of the professional development programme.
- Practitioner resources: Explore our curated materials, including those from our Festival of Stories, to support storytelling and language-rich experiences.
- Our newsletter for those working with families of children from birth to five is published every four to six weeks. To join our mailing list, please email Helen.Wootton@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
- Facebook: Follow our page for tips, resources, and fun activities designed to support children from birth to age five in developing communication, language, and literacy skills.
