Innovative thinking and a can-do approach has meant more children than ever are being supported before they attend school.
During the Covid lockdowns, our School Readiness Team found an ingenious way to connect with families while home visits and group activities were banned.
We used simple and readily available technology like WhatsApp to offer a range of support and early years programmes online – utilising video calls to maintain a face to face service.
It’s believed Middlesbrough was the only local authority in the region to deliver services this way during the lockdowns.
And the approach was so successful the online offer will remain, alongside in-person services, now that all Covid restrictions have been lifted, to continue to reach some who would previously never have engaged with the service.
