Teachers and parents have celebrated the success of a pioneering early years development programme supporting more than 42,000 children across Greater Manchester.
The event at the Deansgate Hilton Hotel on Tuesday (21 November), was held to the celebrate the achievements of the Think Equal programme in helping children recover emotionally and educationally post Covid-19 pandemic.
The scheme’s rollout is a UK first in terms of its scale, with 965 reception classes and 659 nurseries across all 10 local authorities delivering the scheme.
Think Equal, which has been delivered in schools and nurseries across Greater Manchester, has seen more than 42,000 children in their early years benefit from the curriculum-based programme, which supports the social and emotional development for children aged 3 to 5.
The programme is jointly funded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority School Readiness programme, NHS Greater Manchester, and the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“The value of the early years to an individual’s life chances cannot be overstated. Since 2018, we’ve been working with partners across the system to address the school readiness gap for our 5-year-olds in Greater Manchester, ensuring that they have the best start in life. We know that when the pandemic hit in 2020 families, especially those with babies and young children, were significantly impacted.
“When published later this month, we expect the latest school readiness data to show early signs that our Covid recovery strategies in Greater Manchester are working, and this is down to the difference that our skilled early years workforce have made on the lives of young children and their wider families.
“The rollout of the Think Equal programme across the city-region is at the heart of our Covid recovery work and our school readiness strategy. It’s a programme that is vital in recognising the importance of emotional as well as academic development. I can’t thank our teachers and early education workforce in nurseries and schools enough for how successful Think Equal has been here in Greater Manchester, in addition to their day-to-day work in schools and nurseries. The early education workforce are a crucial part of the wider education system and we value and recognise the contribution they are making to improving school readiness outcomes for our youngest residents, ensuring they get the best start in life.”
The scheme is rooted in mental health and social justice and aims to build a strong foundation for individual and societal progress. Designed by global experts in the fields of education, human rights, neuroscience and psychology, the Think Equal programme is evidence-based, holistic, easy to use and impactful. It offers a narrative based approach and is delivered flexibly through a collection of picture books with accompanying teachers notes and lesson plans
