Under 5 Program

Supporting and Providing advice and guidance to young families, to ensure their mental health and they are supported during these early years of life 

Current Progress:

Challenges

We have seen a steady increase in the number of parents/caregivers that use this project. Many parents/caregivers have said they enjoy the sessions along with their child and this has resulted in most of them signing up for further sessions. We have noticed that many of the children's confidence and abilities have grown. We have also seen an increase in their social skills. For the parents/caregivers, we have noticed an increase in confidence and social skills. Most parents have stated that they enjoy coming along and getting out of the house to socialise.

One of the major challenges we have faced is the limited resources available to us. We have been relying heavily on donations to fund our programmes and to provide the resources required to put the session on. Sessions require a variety of resources, from paper and paint to soft play. We require a wide range of toys for ages suitable from birth until 5 years of age.

Defining the Project Why is there a need for the project?

Plans Moving forward, we plan to continue providing under 5 sessions and hope to get enough funding to cover the cost of resources. We hope to reach more parents/caregivers to make everyone feel included and ensure that nobody is excluded due to cost. We plan to provide a supportive environment to parents/caregivers to help with their mental health.

Many parents/caregivers struggle with postnatal depression or other mental health issues. Lot’s of parents/carers have also reported feeling isolated, that they struggle with lack of confidence and anxiety. The under 5's session’s are a way to support, provide guidance and encourage parents by creating a friendly, relaxed and supportive environment where both parent/carer and child learn new social skills, create stronger bonds, make friends and develop new cognitive skills and abilities.

What Our PARENTS/CARERS Say

"I feel it's a safe place to come and socialise with other mums and make friends. It helps both mine and my child's confidence. I'm a first time mum and seeing my child pick up new tricks now and then from others at the group is amazing to see :) "

"It allowed me to have conversations with different mums and just engage with other people. Also allowed me to get ideas of some of the things I could do at home with baby

Got me out the house more , it's helped me speak to others more , it's slowly building my confidence up again and helping me to socialise."

"Yes, it allowed me to get out the house with my baby knowing she was going to have a good time without breaking the bank. It made me feel less guilty for not doing anything, it got us out of the house which eventually turned into a part of our routine"

"Yes, they have improved my confidence and I feel less stressed, my anxiety has also gone down, I feel happier and definitely more confident"