Early Days Magazine and Training & Recruitment Bulletin

Early Days Magazine • Autumn 2013 Edition 

For providers of quality care, parents, 

carers, children, young people and families 

Giving children a flying start 

Adopting a child 

Keeping Luton Smiling 

Good result for local 

childrens centre 

www.luton.gov.uk/fis

Luton_Earlydays_March 2013_v4.indd 1 21/02/2013 13:27 

Early Days 

For providers of quality care, parents, carers, 

children, young people and families 

Have you heard 

of Healthy Start? 

Young Dads 

support 

group 

Early Days Magazine • Summer Issue 2013 

Book start, touch and shine 

www.luton.gov.uk/fis 

Big Toddle 2013 

Helping families 

living on a low 

income 


Hello... 

Welcome to the 

Autumn edition 

of Early Days. 

March 2013 



Picnic in the Park 2013 

Wednesday 26 June,10am to 2pm 

At Wardown Park off Old Bedford Road 


Early Days Magazine • Autumn 2013 Edition 



How to become a childminder 

Building Stronger Families 

Become a fit family this Summer 

Awards success for local nursery 

Giving children a flying start 

Adopting a child 


Good result for local 

childrens centre 

Picnic in the 

Park returns... 

Pages 6 & 7 

Picnic in the Park was a huge success again this year. 

Thank you to everyone that came along, had fun, 

enjoyed the entertainment and picked up some useful 

information from the stalls. The theme of ‘Keep Luton 

Smiling’ meant a lot of local residents went away much 

more informed about healthy teeth and lifestyles. If 

you visited the dental bus for a check up you may be 

interested to read the results from the survey on page 

17. 

The date for the next Picnic in the Park is Wednesday 

25th June 2014 with a theme based around learning 

more about being environmentally friendly, called 

‘Keep Luton Tidy’. More information to follow in the 

Spring edition of Early Days. 

Bizzie Bees promoting 

healthy living 

Bizzie Bees on Mount Pleasant Road, Luton have 

been very busy promoting healthy eating with 

children and families. 

Children are given the opportunity to make their 

very own vegetable soup with parents contributing 

to the delicious, nutritious food by bringing in fresh 

vegetables. This gives children awareness of where 

food comes from, how it is prepared and promotes 

understanding of the wider world. It also encourages 

self help skills, which promotes personal, social and 

emotional development. 

During the Summer months children grow carrots 

and potatoes at Bizzie Bees, which they dig up in the 

Autumn, teaching them exactly how vegetables grow. 

Children fully participate in choosing and preparing the 

ingredients to go into the soup, which they then eat or 

take home for the family to enjoy. 

To find out more about Bizzie Bees on Mount 

Pleasant Road please go to 

www.bizziebeesnursery.com or call Karen on 

07890 96 74 79 

Don’t forget if you need information, advice and 

guidance on childcare and the wide range of 

family support services in Luton call the 

Family Information Service on 01582 54 88 88. 

Editor: Simon Stothard 

Email: simon.stothard@luton.gov.uk 

2 Family Information Service: 4 01582 54 88 88 Ñ fis@luton.gov.uk www.luton.gov.uk/fis

Little Peoples Nursery - 

new premises coming soon. 

The new branch of Little Peoples Nursery will soon 

be opening at Whitefields Primary School, 

Stockholm Way, Luton, LU3 3SS. Places are available 

for 2 year olds eligible for funding. For further 

information please call Sally or Sue on 01582 56 02 12. 

Little People premises are purpose built and equipped 

with fantastic facilities to help your child to develop 

their skills in all areas of learning. They also have an 

extensive outdoor area that offers the opportunity to 

explore, play and enjoy the fresh air. 

If you are looking for childcare in Luton we are proud 

to be recognised for offering a personal touch when 

it comes to caring for your precious little one. For your 

complete peace of mind they have a passionate team 

of staff who are fully qualified and CRB checked. 

Call: 01582 56 02 12 

Email: enquiries@littlepeoplesnursery.com 

Visit: www.littlepeoplesnursery.com 

Snuggle up with a story this 

winter 

Now you can download books and ebooks from 

the warmth of your own home and the best part 

is they’re free! All you need is your library card and pin 

number. 

There are over 4,000 books to choose from in eBook 

or audio book format and you can borrow up to 10 

books at a time. Simply download onto your PC or 

laptop and transfer to an MP3, e-reader or smartphone. 

Also available is a small collection of travel and history 

videos and a selection of classic black and white films as 

well as free access to The Times digital archive and the 

driving theory test. 

If you are not already a library card holder, joining is free 

and easy. Just drop into any library in Luton with proof 

of your current address, such as a driving licence, bank 

statement or utility bill. 

To find out more go to www.lutonlibraries.co.uk and click on ‘Do It Online’. 

Visit the Luton Family Service Directory: www.directory.luton.gov.uk 

3

Providing extra support to families in 

the South of Luton 

The Mayor congratulates the first group of Home- 

Start Volunteers on completion of their training 

course. 

This group of volunteers will be matched to families 

with young children who are experiencing some sort 

of crisis in their lives. 

Home-Start works with families in times of distress, 

making them strong again and preventing a crisis. 

In an ideal world Home-Start wouldn’t be needed 

but for many parents the pressures of family life are 

simply too much to cope with alone. There are so 

many reasons for this including poverty, illness, family 

breakdowns, isolation, physical and mental health 

issues. 

This is where Home-Start steps in by recruiting and 

training parent volunteers to offer emotional and 

practical support to families in their own homes. 

One mum supported by Home-Start said: “I’ve found 

Home-Start fantastic, I can’t fault the support. I think 

if I hadn’t had the support I’d be completely lost. 

Having Jane has given me the extra confidence with 

my parenting and I’m surprised how much easier 

things are now.” 

Volunteering for Home-Start is a rewarding 

experience and all volunteers complete an extensive 

training course before they are matched to their first 

family. Home-Start also offers ongoing training and 

support to all volunteers. One Home-Start volunteer 

said: “To volunteer for Home-Start and to help get a 

family back on their feet is a wonderful experience.” 

Cherry continued: “Volunteers support families for 

2-3 hours each week. We provide a training course 

for 8 weeks, one day a week, which is fun, informal 

and informative. Each volunteer must complete their 

training before they are matched to their first family. 

The next course will be in the spring. Volunteers 

find supporting families extremely rewarding, but 

also say that volunteering helps improve their own 

self-esteem, and enhances their own personal and 

professional skills. We are working closely with 

the Children’s Centres to offer families the most 

appropriate support to meet their needs.” 

The charity is one of over 300 local Home-Starts 

that are spread right across the UK and forms part 

of the UK’s leading family support charity. Cherry Le 

Roy, coordinator at a local Home-Start said: “We are 

extending our family support service in Luton and 

urgently need volunteers. The more volunteers we 

have, the more families we can help.” 

Attending the launch, Mayor of Luton Cllr Sheila 

Roden said: “It’s great to be at the launch of Home- 

Start in Luton and to meet the volunteers. Home- 

Start have a marvellous reputation for the work that 

they do with children and families. It’s really good to 

see them here in Luton.” 

This project is funded by ABC and Hatters Children’s 

Centres. 

If you think you could support Home-Start, have parenting experience and would like to help a local 

family please contact: 

Email: office@homestartcentralbeds.org.uk or call 01582 66 00 61. 


ABC Children’s Centre 

awarded good in all areas 

ABC Children’s Centre staff were delighted that following an OFSTED inspection in June the results have 

come back as ‘GOOD’ in all areas. 

It was an amazing team and community effort and the inspectors commented that “Families receive good 

quality services” and that “the centre places a high priority on making sure families are safe at all times”. A full 

copy of the report can be found on OFSTED’s website at www.ofsted.gov.uk. 

Michael Howe, Children’s Centre Hub Manager for 

ABC Children’s Centre said: “The staff and Governors 

would like to thank all of the families who were 

involved in our inspection, you really made a 

difference and your support and encouragement 

during the two days were invaluable. Thank You! 

We were the first centre to be inspected in 

Luton under the new framework within the new 

hub model and no-one quite knew what the 

expectations would be on us from OFSTED. As 

always, everyone rose to the challenge and 

succeeded in portraying to the inspection team the 

wonderful service we provide. 

OFSTED saw and recognised what we had hoped for. 

We are delivering wonderful services for our families; 

we are enthusiastic and have the skills to break down 

barriers to engagement and participation. The good 

rating we received is recognition for all the effort and 

hard work you put into the centre for the benefit of 

the children and families who visit us every day. 

We are going from strength to strength and like the 

Lead Inspector said, it is a tough framework. The 

Team would like to thank our partners for supporting 

us during the inspection and making the time 

to come and speak with the inspection team at 

extremely short notice.” 

Some of the encouraging comments from OFSTED 

were: “ABC Children’s Centre offers good quality 

services. Families can join many interesting sessions 

during the week. For instance, there are ‘Stay and 

Play’ sessions with music where children learn to sing 

nursery rhymes and songs that encourage them to 

count.” 

“Access to services is good and the large majority 

of families use the centre regularly. Families from all 

backgrounds mix successfully, especially those from 

targeted groups.” 

“Staff work well with families and offer good quality 

care and guidance on a wide range of topics, 

including weaning a baby and getting a job.” 

Since the report has been published ABC have not 

let the grass grow under their feet. They have made 

even more progress on the number of children being 

registered with the centre and how many people 

they are seeing on a regular basis. 

To contact ABC Children’s Centre call 

01582 41 35 52 or email 

info@abcchildrenscentre.co.uk 


5

FLYING START 

Luton helping to give children a flying start 

The BIG Lottery fund is looking to invest £30-£50 million 

in only three to five areas in the country over a period of 

eight to ten years, to help improve children’s lives in three 

key areas: 

• communication and language development 

• social and emotional development and 

• nutrition. 

The Pre-school Learning Alliance, the largest early years 

educational charity, submitted an application for funding to the 

BIG Lottery Fund in partnership with Luton Borough Council and 

its partner organisations and has got through to the final stage. 

The partnership is now developing its proposal and preparing its 

final application for funding. 

If successful, they propose to develop a number of projects and 

initiatives in five wards of the town: Biscot, Dallow, Farley, South 

and Northwell, which have higher levels of child poverty, poor 

health and fewer children who are prepared for starting school, 

as the focus for the programme. 

Projects will include: 

• supporting parents with breastfeeding, weaning and 

healthy eating 

• help with developing children’s language skills 

• parenting support programmes 

• new job and volunteering opportunities. 


Flying Start will be aimed at expectant parents, new 

families with children aged 0-3 years and Luton’s school 

children who will be the next generation of parents. 

Flying Start co-ordinator said: “We want to build on what we already know 

works well locally and refocus services to concentrate on preventative 

initiatives, creating services that provide support before problems arise, so that 

we can really make a difference to family’s and children’s lives.” 

The programme aims to develop an additional workforce including key 

workers, local students and community volunteers to work alongside families 

and professionals to promote good parenting and to link families to other 

services. Local people will also be invited to sit on Flying Start Community 

Partnerships therefore having a direct impact on decision making and to 

influence what services are delivered to support families and individuals. 

Flying Start is being developed by the Pre-school Learning Alliance, Luton 

Borough Council including Public Health, NHS Luton Clinical Commissioning 

Group and a number of partners including the police, university, London 

Luton Airport Limited, and voluntary sector organisations. 

If you would like more information about Flying Start, please contact our 

Flying Start Team on 54 83 56, email flyingstart@luton.gov.uk or visit 

www.luton.gov.uk/flyingstart 


7

Congratulations to the first cohort of 

Early Years Safeguarding Champions! 

Anumber of local organisations have successfully 

taken part in a comprehensive review of safe 

guarding standards including safeguarding policy 

and procedures in a joint project between the 

Luton Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and the 

Safe Network (Partnership between the NSPCC and 

Children England). 

The Safe Network standards are promoted in Luton 

as the minimum safeguarding standards for the 

Faith, Voluntary, Community and Independent sector 

including Early Years providers. For more information 

see www.safenetwork.org.uk. 

The successful organisations have provided evidence 

portfolios mapped against the Network Standards, 

undertaken training and participated in a Quality 

Assurance panel in order to be awarded a time limited 

participation award. 

The participation award was designed by a successful 

entry from a Luton high school; the award is 

countersigned by Professor Michael Preston - Shoot 

(LSCB Independent Chair) and Martin Pratt (Luton 

Borough Council Director of Children’s Services). The 

award certificate can be framed for display and of 

course should be referenced in any organisation self 

evaluation tool. 

While completion is not an endorsement of 

safeguarding practice it does provide recognition that 

successful organisations have worked in partnership 

with the LSCB and are champions of safeguarding. 

The successful organisations represent a wide cross 

section of Early Years providers and include: 

• Little Peoples Day Nursery – 

Sally Goodwin (Manager) 

• Community Link Children Centre – 

Sharon Wheeler (Children Centre Hub Manager) 

• Building Blocks Children Centre – 

Hilary Wilson (Children Centre Hub Manager) 

• Downside preschool – 

Shagufta Anwar (Owner / Manager) 

• Chaul End Children Centre Nursery – 

Shagufta Anwar (Owner / Manager) 

• Jigsaw preschool – 

Amtiaz Munir – (Owner / Manager) 

• Beech Hill Nursery – 

Amtiaz Munir – (Owner / Manager) 

• Maidenhall Community preschool – 

Faiza Saghir (Manager) 

If your organisation is interested in becoming a 

Safeguarding Champion a future launch will be 

happening in the New Year, please register any 

interest with Lucy Riches (Childcare Advice and 

Support Officer) by contacting the Childcare 

Advice and Support team on 01582 54 89 97. 


Over 3,500 people flocked to Wardown 

Park on Wednesday 26th June to join in 

the fun at Picnic in the Park 2013, which 

was officially opened by the Mayor of 

Luton, Cllr Sheila Roden. 

This year’s theme was healthy teeth and lifestyles, with 

children and parents queuing at the Department of 

Health unit to ‘show the dentist their smile’, helping 

young children to become familiar with attending a 

dentist in a fun way. 

Children had a fantastic time taking part in the 

challenge of finding pictures of a toothbrush, 

toothpaste and a smiley tooth at selected stalls, and 

received a free toothbrush, timer and a teeth cleaning 

chart from the friendly Toothbrush Man and Tooth 

Fairy. 

There were plenty of other fun activities specifically 

designed for the under-fives including craft activities, 

face painting, bouncy castles and slides, obstacle 

course, story time and children’s theatre. Several 

children participated in a session of Action kids which 

involved singing, blowing bubbles and doing the 

hokey cokey. Children were also able to get behind 

the wheels of a fire engine and ambulance. 


9

Parents and carers had the chance to visit a variety of information 

stalls picking up useful tips and advice about healthy eating and 

oral health, fire and home safety, fostering opportunities and 

road safety. Visitors were also able to meet a number of different 

childcare providers and find out about the many childcare and 

family support services that are available in Luton. 

Luton’s Mayor, Cllr Sheila Roden who opened Picnic in the 

Park said: “It was great to see so many families from different 

communities all having a fantastic time at Picnic in the Park. 

There was a wide range of activities and entertainment for the 

children and lots of professionals on hand to provide essential 

information and advice to parents and carers. Well done to the 

organisers for hosting such a splendid event.” 

Kelly from Marsh Farm who was a first time visitor to the event 

said: “It’s really good, the kids are loving it and there is plenty to 

do. I’ve picked up useful information such as about fire alarms 

and dental advice. I will definitely be coming again next year.” 

Picnic in the Park 2013 was sponsored by Bartham Press and 

Diverse FM. 

If you are interested in becoming part of next years 

Picnic in the Park success, putting something back into 

the local community and would like more details about 

sponsorship opportunities contact the 

Family Information Service on 01582 54 88 88 or email 

fis@luton.gov.uk. 

Staff members of the Family Information Service and Pre-school 

Learning Alliance, organisers of Picnic in the Park. 

10 Family Information Service: 4 01582 54 88 88 

Ñ fis@luton.gov.uk www.luton.gov.uk/fis

The search is on for forever 

families in Luton 

Luton Borough Council is appealing for more people 

to come forward to provide ‘forever families’ for the 

26 children who are in need of loving homes. 

We believe every child deserves to grow up 

within a loving family. That’s why we need to find 

nurturing permanent homes for children of all ages, 

backgrounds, ethnicities and religions as well as 

siblings groups. 

We know that adopting a child can be challenging 

but it is also very rewarding. By making this lifelong 

commitment, your new child will become part of your 

family forever. 

Case study 

Alan Harman and his partner met in 2003 and quite 

early in their relationship they both agreed that in 

the future they would like to have a family. Alan 

said: “Although there are differing routes to having 

children we felt that adoption was best for us as we 

had no strong feeling about our children having to 

be ‘ours’ in terms of biology, so with children in the 

UK needing adoptive parents it seemed an obvious 

choice for us. 

“We saw a number of authorities but when we 

visited Luton it just felt right. We felt very welcome 

and we also quite quickly met our social worker 

who we immediately got on with very well. We had 

researched different agencies but we couldn’t see 

any reason not to just use Luton directly.” 

The same sex couple have two children who are 

now six and four years old; the first came to them as 

a baby under one year old and the second before 

their second birthday. 

Alan added: “We were very lucky, we have an 

excellent social worker who was efficient and 

thorough so our process was completed in good 

time and although many aspects are very personal 

and probing you have to keep your eye on the end 

goal of having children. Yes, the system is probably 

easy to question at times but as your journey goes 

on you realise it is all about preparing you to be 

the best possible parents for children that will have 

differing needs to non-adopted children. Our family 

is now complete and our children are fantastic!” 


11

Case study 

Lucy and her husband decided to adopt after exploring IVF and 

made the decision that they didn’t want to spend money on 

trying something that may not result in a child. Lucy said: “We 

decided that the money would be better spent on a child that 

needs a family. The process was time consuming to start with 

but as long as you’re open and honest getting approved was 

quite straightforward. The hardest part was being matched and 

waiting for your child to come home. The first time it took four 

months to match us to our son, however second time round it 

only took a few weeks for us to meet our baby girl.” 

Meeting the child you hope to adopt can be one of the most 

exciting but nerve wracking experiences. Lucy recalls their first 

contact with their son. “Driving to the foster carer’s house was 

the longest drive ever, we were filled with hope, anxieties and 

my tummy was in knots. We knew today was the beginning of 

our life as a family. I couldn’t wait to hold him, squeeze him and 

play with him. It was love at first sight, although I believe I first 

fell in love with him by watching videos and seeing pictures. 

The love grew over time and is now unconditional he is my 

baby boy and I will stand up for him and protect him he has my 

heart forever! 

“Our second adoption was much quicker although I was 

anxious about whether we could love another child as much 

as we do our son. Any worries disappeared as soon as we saw 

her. The most memorable moment was when our son met his 

baby sister and he remarked that’ she is so gorgeous’. I cried 

tears of happiness; we knew we had made the right choice! Our 

children now aged four and one, they have unconditional love 

for each other, they stand up for each other and argue like any 

other siblings would.” 

To adopt you must be over 21, have lots 

of patience, be flexible and energetic. 

Many people believe that you have to 

own your home, have a job or be under 

40 to adopt a child, but these are simply 

myths. You don’t have to be married, 

be in a relationship, or heterosexual. 

Unmarried couples including same 

sex couples living together, who can 

evidence a stable relationship, may 

adopt as well as couples in a civil 

partnership and single people. 

Although there are no ‘blanket bans’ 

relating to recruiting adoptive families 

we have to ensure applicants have the 

ability to support a child throughout 

their childhood right through to when 

they become adults, therefore issues 

such as age and health are important 

considerations when assessing a formal 

application. 

Cllr Waheed Akbar, portfolio holder with 

responsibility for children’s services, 

said: “We have brothers and sisters who 

want to stay together, children from 

ethnic minority groups and babies 

under two years, all looking for families 

who can give them the care, attention 

and support they need and deserve. 

“We know it’s not always easy looking 

after a child; however our adoptive 

parents say it’s one of the most 

rewarding things they have ever done 

and they don’t have any regrets. So if 

you’re thinking about adoption, take 

that first step on the journey of your 

life time and give our adoption team a 

call and see what a difference you can 

make to a child’s life.” 

For more information ring our 

Adoption Team on 01582 54 78 04 

or visit www.luton.gov/adoption 


Interested in a FREE Funded 

Early Learning place for 

your 2 year old? 

Do you have a 

2 year old child? 

Do you live 

in Luton? 

Are you currently in 

receipt of benefits or credits? 

If you have answered yes to all of these questions you 

may be entitled to a free early education place for 

your child (subject to meeting eligibility criteria). 

Up to 15 hours of free childcare per 

week at an Ofsted registered early 

years provider. Starting the term 

after your child’s second birthday. 

Please contact Family Information 

Service who will be happy to advise 

and assist you: 

Telephone: 01582 54 88 88 

In partnership with

Community Link was 

Active in the Park 

The team from Community Link packed up their 

picnics and were delighted to kick-off an exciting 

summer of activities with Luton’s premier event for 

pre-school children—’Picnic in the Park’ at Wardown 

Park in June. The weather was kind and all staff who 

provide services across the Gill Blowers, Leagrave, 

Beechwood, Chaul End and Pirton Hill sites and many 

of the settings regular families came along to join in. 

The day was full of fun activities for all and was 

topped off for by Community Action Link’s own 

Tammy Sussams and supporting team holding a big 

Action Kids session of fun music and movement to 

keep the little ones (and their mums and dads) fit 

and healthy. There were smiles all round as activities 

included movement with streamers, bubbles and 

children taking on the characters of elephants and 

magical fairies. 

Action Kids is just one of the activities offered at 

Community Link, also included are baby & toddler 

sessions, baby massage, family learning, health clinics, 

Saturday groups and visits from all sorts of services 

offering support to families with young children. 

Community Link is local to families in the Leagrave, 

Challney and Hockwell Ring areas but there are local 

Children’s Centres across Luton. 

If you live in this area and have (or know someone 

who has) a child under 5 and you would like to find 

out more about what Community Link do please 

call to register and join the mailing list and you will 

receive the latest news and up-to-date programmes 

as they become available. 

To find out more email office.communitylink@gmail.com or call 01582 493761 


Early Years 

Continuous 

Professional 

Development (CPD) 

training 

To access information for all upcoming 

Early Years CPD courses and to make 

on line course bookings visit the Early 

Years area on the Luton School Support 

Website www.schoolsupport.luton. 

gov.uk 

For all Early Years CPD booking enquiries 

call 01582 54 80 59 or 01582 54 89 80 

To request places on Paediatric First 

Aid courses please email 

earlyyearscpd@luton.gov.uk 

Tel: 01582 573 471 

e-mail: info@barthamgroup.com 

ROLLER 

BANNERS 

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Payment must be made when placing order. Bartham Group hold no responsibility for omissions and errors after printing. 

Discount cannot be combined with any other offer or discount and is available until 31st December 2013. 


15


If you attended Picnic in the Park this year you may 

have taken the time to board the mobile dental 

surgery and take part in a survey to find out how 

healthy family’s teeth are in Luton. 

The Dental bus was a popular part of this years Picnic 

in the Park, giving families on the spot dental checkups 

and advice on better oral care. Both children 

and parents overcame their fears and worries about 

visiting a dentist in a fun and entertaining way that 

will have a lasting, positive impact on the families that 

attended. It was all worth it with a “goodie” bag being 

presented to each attendee, which included a free 

toothbrush. 

Over 120 families in total were surveyed whilst waiting 

to board the bus answering a series of questions; 

some of the findings are below: 

Number of portions of fruit and veg – 6% of children 

eat no portions of fruit and veg per day, 28% eat two 

portions and only 27% had the recommended five 

portions per day. Almost all fruit and vegetables count 

towards your 5 a day, making it easier than you may 

think to get your recommended amount each day. 

Fruit and vegetables don’t have to be fresh to count 

as a portion. Nor do they have to be eaten on their 

own: they also count if they’re part of a meal or dish. 

To find out more about what is in a portion please see 

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY. 

Brushing sessions per day – it was good to see that 

the majority, 67% of children had their teeth brushed 

three times per day. 33% brushed twice per day with 

nobody answering any less than this number. It is 

recommended that teeth should be brushed twice a 

day; once at night and one other time. 


Types of toothpaste – the most widely used 

toothpaste brand was Colgate, with the least being 

Signal. Family toothpaste is suggested for children at 

higher risk of tooth decay. A smear is recommended 

for under three year olds and a small pea-size for over 

3’s. Fluoride varnish applied – 15% answered yes to 

having fluoride varnish applied and a staggering 85% 

answered no. Fluoride varnish is a pale yellow gel that 

sets quickly when applied to children’s teeth using a 

soft brush. Scientific studies have shown it provides 

extra protection against tooth decay when used in 

addition to brushing teeth regularly with fluoride 

toothpaste. 

Fluoride varnish can be applied at a Dentists or at one 

of the three Children’s Centres participating in the 

Community Dental Services oral health promotion 

programme. These are Building Blocks, Community 

Links and Hatters Children Centre. 

Dental visits in the last 12 months – out of the 

121 children surveyed 102 should have seen a 

dentist in the last 12 months. 

It can be assumed that up to 49 children under 

two years old had their first ever experience of 

visiting a dentist on the Dental bus at Picnic in 

the Park. 

If you would like a list of local NHS dentists or 

any other assistance accessing a dentist or better 

oral health contact: 

Community Dental Services 

Call: 01234 310223 (9am - 5:30pm Mon-Fri) 

Email: info@cds-cic.nhs.uk 

Web: www.communitydentalservices.co.uk 

For general oral health information please 

visit: www.dentalhealth.org. 


17

Subscribe for fun 

packed holidays 

Want to be kept up-to-date with the upcoming 

school holiday activities in Luton? Join 

our subscription list to receive a comprehensive 

selection of local activities, events, exhibitions and 

playschemes. 

Ideal for planning out the holidays and keeping the 

kids busy with a wide choice of things to do. 

To subscribe contact the Family Information 

Service giving your name and email address: 

Email: fis@luton.gov.uk 

Call: 01582 54 88 88 

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Help for student parents 

If you are working with or are a parent who is returning to studying and 

needs information about grants and funding that may be available to 

them, the Family Information Service have produced an information 

sheet that wll be able to help you. 

To find out all about help such as Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits, 

Care to Learn, 2 year old funding and all related please contact the 

Family Information Service for your free information sheet. 


Call: 01582 54 88 88 

Early Days 

For providers of quality care, parents, carers, 

children, young people and families 

Have you heard 

of Healthy Start? 

Young Dads 

support 

group 


Book start, touch and shine 


Early Days Magazine • Summer Issue 

March 2013 



Big Toddle 2013 

Picnic in the Park 2013 

Helping families 

living on a low 

income 

Wednesday 26 June,10am to 2pm 

At Wardown Park off Old Bedford Road 

How to become a childminder 

Building Stronger Families 

Become a fit family this Summer 

Awards success for local nursery 

Picnic in the 

Park returns... 

Pages 6 & 7 

Luton_Earlydays_March 2013_v4.indd 1 21/02/2013 13:27 


ookstart 

“Inspire your children to read” 

Get a Bookstart pack to start you off: 

• Support your child’s language development 

• encourage your child’s love of books 

• Have positive shared experiences reading with 

your child 

• Take advantage of free library services 

To find out more or collect your free Bookstart 

pack ask at your local Luton library or contact 

the Bookstart Co-ordinator on 01582 54 74 37. 

www.bookstart.org.uk www.lutonculture.com 

Parents Evening 

at Training Depot Day Nursery 

Aparents evening was recently held at the 

Training Depot, with the aim of emphasising the 

importance of trying to put across to parents and 

carers how important Personal, Social and Emotional 

Development (PSED) is. 

The idea of basing parents evening around PSED came 

about through parents regularly asking the same 

questions: “Why is my child not writing?”, “Why does 

my child not know about numbers?” being the main 

focus. 

PSED is made up of lots of different factors just as 

important as those in the questions regularly asked 

by parents, so the Training Depot set about to try any 

address the balance of this focus. A special display was 

produced for parents to read all about PSED. 

This enabled the parents to understand why their child 

might not excelling in one area but might be doing 

much better in another. An information sheet was also 

produced to fully explain and emphasise this. 

This was the first step to equip parents with 

information on how they can help their child with 

PSED and therefore have children that are confident 

and ready for the next step on the learning journey. 

Training Depot Day Nursery: Call: 01582 73 05 

10 Web: www.trainingdepot.co.uk 


19

Whats on in Luton Autumn 2013 

Events 

Toddler Time 

Friday 20 December 2013, 11am – 12pm 

Friday 17 January 2014, 11am 

Fun and creative activities for ages 3 -5 

£3. All children must be supervised by a 

parent or carer. 

To book call 01582 548600. 

Christmas Cookies 

Sunday 22nd December 2013, 

11am - 12:30pm 

Learn how to decorate cookies with royal icing 

and sugarpaste. 

£12.50 per person, Suitable for ages 6+ 

To book call 07857 413 031. 

Events 

Luton Art 

7 December 2013 - 2 March 2014 

Wardown Park Museum 

See the shortlisted entries for this year’s Luton 

Art competition featuring paintings, sculptures 

and drawings by professional and aspiring 

artists of all ages. 

Free entry. 

Toddler Time 

Friday 3 January 2014, 11am – 12pm 

Fun and creative activities 

£3, for ages 3 -5. All children must be 

supervised by a parent or carer. 

To book call 01582 546722. 

Events 

Beauty and the Beast 

14 - 24 December, various times 

A thrilling tale of adventure, the high seas and 

a spell broken by true love’s kiss. Discover that 

beauty really lies within. 

£10.50 adults, £9.50 children/ 

concessions, £8.50 Culture Card, £38 

family ticket (max. 2 adults) 

Booking essential. Call 01582 547474. 

Griffin Players present...Cinderella 

29 November - 7 December 

A large cast, colourful costumes, dazzling 

special effects, live music and all the fun of a 

traditional family panto. 

£10, £8 concessions 

To book call 01582 547474 

The next issue will be available Spring 2014. 

To submit features, articles and success stories for the next edition of Early Days please 

email simon.stothard@luton.gov.uk 

Family Information Service: 4 01582 54 88 88 Ñ fis@luton.gov.uk www.luton.gov.uk/fis

Early Days Magazine and Training & Recruitment Bulletin

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