Big Hopes Big Future A rich home learning environment can improve cognitive development for all children, regardless of the socio-economic background. The Home-Start Big Hopes Big Future programme is a volunteer-led programme aimed at parents and children under 5 that strengthens the home learning environment and improves school readiness. Big Hopes, Big Future was created to address the growing need to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds in developing essential early learning skills. Volunteers and staff work directly with parents and their children to build the skills they need to be ready for the first day of school. The first day of school is a major milestone in a child’s life and is a transition which many children take in their stride. However, almost half of the 600,000 five-year-olds who start school will not be ready for education. This gap at the start of primary school can widen throughout school education, but by improving support for families and creating effective home learning environments in their earliest years, we can improve opportunity for all children. How Big Hopes Big Future works The importance of a supportive home environment and of parental engagement with early learning for children’s social, emotional and cognitive development is now well understood. Playing, songs and rhymes, books, routines and emotional security - all play a vital part in being ready for school. By providing structured support and practical tools, Big Hopes, Big Future helps bridge the gap, ensuring more children start school with the skills they need to thrive. Big Hopes Big Future trains Home-Start’s volunteers to use original, specially produced materials for working directly with the young children in the families they are supporting. They help develop reading, writing, numeracy, and understanding of the routines of the school day. Over a period of several months our trained volunteers specifically tailor this support to individual family needs. Using innovative resources, parents are encouraged to get actively involved in early learning through a range of play-based activities. The power of volunteers Big Hopes Big Future is based on the principles of non-judgemental, compassionate support developed by Home-Start over more than 50 years. Our support aims to improve interactions between children, parents and peers. By focusing on the needs of the family, and by building trust and engagement with parents, Home-Start volunteers are able to work with families who often struggle to access other services. All volunteers are trained with on-going support by experienced Home-Start staff. They encourage parents to nurture their children in ways which will help them to get the most out of their time at nursery and school, focussing on these four key developmental areas: Language skills – e.g. speaking clearly, recognising their name Daily living skills – e.g. able to use scissors, or toilet training Cognitive skills – e.g. regular book-sharing at home Behaviour – e.g. waiting patiently, sharing Key elements of the Big Hopes Big Future training programme have been integrated into the core training required for all new Home-Start home-visiting volunteers. This includes dedicated sections on the home learning environment and strengths-based approaches. Impact of Big Hopes Big Future on children The Big Hopes Big Future programme was piloted in England by Home-Start UK in 2014-2015 with funding from the Department of Education. Key findings from the evaluation of the pilot with support from the University of Cambridge in 2015 included an improvement of between 25% and 33% across the four key developmental areas of language, daily living, cognitive skills, and behaviour. The pilot’s greatest impact was recorded in families of children with the highest needs including those whose parents had mental health problems and were coping with complex and multiple disadvantages. The Big Hopes Big Future training has been developed and strengthened and volunteer training has been accessed by Home-Starts across England. Manage Cookie Preferences