Nursery World - Working with parents: Free to explore

Building on the success of Story Cafes, a new scheme combines
reading with sensory experiences to engage families, says Lindsey
Symington.

Two years ago, Norfolk County Council developed the Story Cafe programme, which proved itself to be a really effective model of engaging parents in their children's learning. A Story Cafe is essentially an informal story session, which takes place in a 'cafe' in an early years setting or primary school, with all the features of a cafe, like refreshments. Now, we have built on the initiative's success by developing Discovery Cafes, offering stories and sensory experiences to families with children under three. They too are a hit with parents.

The decision to extend the programme was in recognition of the importance of positive parent-child interactions, particularly during the optimal period for brain development, from birth to age two.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included