The PEEP program

About PEEP Guidelines & principles Program structure Program content PEEP training (essential) Core activities Flexible delivery Positive evidenced outcomes

Dr Rosemary Roberts OBE MA PhD

Overarching criteria for quality early childhood

services Explicit aims Flexible delivery Universal, voluntary, free access Collaborative community program Reflective learning organisation Good project communication High quality resources Systematic monitoring & information management Effective, efficient, value for money.

What is special to PEEP?

Supports learning at home, from birth

Works with parents, about and with their children

Five-year program, theoretical underpinning

Links language and music Quality training: working

with parents Universal & targeted

design Evidenced-based Accreditation policy

(practitioners and parents)

PEEP principles 1: relationships with

parents/carers

Values parents/carers knowledge & experience of their children as a starting point for offering ideas & information

Works with parents as equal partners (PEEP is done ‘with’ parents, not ‘to’ them)

Has a non-judgmental approach to families Values diversity, welcoming people from all

backgrounds & cultures Creates opportunities for parents to share

experiences & ideas in a safe & supportive environment

PEEP principles 2: learning together with

children

Parents/carers are a child’s first and most important educators

Self-esteem is central for learning Learning works best when the world is understood

from the child’s point of view Children learn through play & interaction Singing, stories & books are crucial in children’s

learning, beginning at birth Relationships are at the heart of learning Parents/carers can learn together with their children PEEP has high expectations of what children & adults

can achieve together

PEEP program structure

The ORIM learning framework (Hannon 1995) is a practical way for parents/carers to develop relationships with their children and to encourage learning through:

Opportunities for learning Recognition & valuing their children’s efforts &

achievements Interaction with their children to talk about what

they do and how they feel about it Modelling behaviour, attitudes & activities

PEEP program content

Currently, five developmental areas: self concept & learning dispositions (e.g. perseverance & curiosity), oral language, reading, writing, numeracy

Core activities: talking time (about children’s development), singing songs, rhymes, sharing books & stories, activities, playing together

PEEP resources to support learning together at home (updating for 2013)

DVDs & sessions plans for practitioners

Flexible delivery

Open access activities (health clinics, drop-in groups) Home visits (universal home visiting, baby visits) Home programs (general or specialised program) PEEP groups (standard PEEP groups, specialised

targeted groups) Working with professionals (building a professional

workforce) Working with the sector (contributing to policy &

practice through development, delivery & dissemination)

Positive evidenced outcomes

Birth to School Study (6 yrs, 2005) reported enhanced parent-child interaction & quality of care-giving environment; skills related to future literacy development; higher self-esteem

Foundation PEEP Study (2003) reported greater progress in language comprehension, understanding about books & print, self-esteem

Enabling Parents Study (2004) reported participants’ improved socio-economic status; greater awareness of their children’s literacy development & ways to foster it

Room to Play Evaluation (2007) reported involvement of diverse groups of people, including otherwise isolated families

UK delivery of PEEP Local Authority-wide delivery (e.g. Edinburgh, Derby, 50+

groups in each) Also in Lincolnshire, Hampshire, Midlothian, West Lothian,

Aberdeen, Staffs, Leicestershire, Bristol In Children’s Centres etc., working with health, education and

social care ‘Progressive universalism’: universal, but special effort to

recruiting vulnerable families ‘Water PEEP’, ‘Cooking PEEP’, ‘Healthy Eating PEEP’,

‘Chatterbox PEEP’ (2yr-olds with speech and language delay), ‘Outdoor PEEP’, ‘Sensory PEEP’ (physical disabilities), ‘Antenatal PEEP’ (incl. with substance-misusing parents-to-be), ‘Early Explorers’ (in well-baby health clinics)

GROWING CAPACITY AND CONNECTING: INTEGRATION AT ALL THE LEVELS

Evolution not revolution: ‘grow on’ to existing quality services, eg MCH, Family Support

Integration the key: strengthening connections across the services, and at all levels