Every Child a Talker (ECaT)

							                                Every Child a Talker (ECaT)

Every Child a Talker (ECaT) is a National Strategies funded programme aimed at improving
early language development in children from birth to four. It was launched nearly three years
ago in response to research which has highlighted that many children are still not achieving a
good level of development in communication and language skills by the time they start school.
Given that good early language development is a key factor in a child’s future success both
academically and socially it is clearly a priority for us in early years.

Central Bedfordshire Council is one of 55 LAs who joined the final roll out of the programme
from April 2010 with the intention to:
     Improve early language development, initially for children in targeted settings, but
        eventually across the whole LA
     Establish an Early Language Lead Practitioner (ELLP) in 20 settings to provide
        expertise and support to other practitioners in their own and linked settings and to
        parents
     Increase practitioner knowledge and understanding of early language development
        and how to support it
     Increase parental understanding and involvement in their children’s language
        development

For more information contact: Karen.spring@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
                          Karen.finney@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
                          www.nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk