Every Child a Talker comes to Kent
Every Child
a Talker (ECAT) is a national project that aims to support
children’s early speech, language and communication skills.
Research shows that children who start school as confident speakers
with good language skills become successful learners and achieve in
life. Sadly this is not the case for all children. In 2006,
research showed that:
- up to 10% of all children have a long term persistent
communication difficulty
- however, upwards of 50% of children when starting school have
more temporary difficulties, with the right support these children
can catch up.
Source: I CAN Talk paper: ‘The
Cost to the Nation of Children’s Poor Communication’.
Every Child a Talker in Kent provides information on how
to encourage speech, language and communication skills from birth
for families and adults working with young children.
Follow these simple top tips to get your child off to a good
start
Chatty Cat says…”Talk to your child
from the day they are born” and “Speak in your home
language”
Happy Cat says…”Have fun playing face
to face with your child for 5 minutes each day”
Sleepy Cat says…”If your child is
over 12 months old only use a dummy at sleep times”
Copy Cat says…..”Repeat your child’s
sounds or words”
Story Cat says…..”Share a book or
sing a song together every day”.