Let's Start
A program to help young children get off to the best possible start
An applied research initiative of the School for Social and Policy Research
About the Let's Start program
Let’s Start is the implementation of the Exploring Together Preschool Program in the Northern Territory. It aims to help parents support children as they negotiate their way through preschool into primary school. We work with children aged 4 – 6 years and their parents or main carers. We believe the early years are very important for children’s social and emotional learning and that we should support children to develop helpful ways of relating to other children and adults to avoid problems in later years.
How can the program benefit your child?
The program is fun and practical! In weekly 2 hour sessions, parents and children work together in small groups with activities aimed at:
- Developing children’s social skills
- Reducing identified problem behaviour
- Assisting parents and children to learn problem-solving skills
- Assisting parents to identify family strengths and to encourage positive behaviour in their children
Who can attend Let's Start?
The program has been especially developed to assist indigenous children and their parents, but is available to children of all backgrounds. Many problems of young children are transitory; however, some children with behaviour problems at home or school may be at risk of more serious difficulties in later years. Children who have difficulties at school, show challenging or disruptive behaviours, who can’t easily join in with other children, are shy, or restless and unable to settle may be referred to Let’s Start by their school. Children may show problems at home, and their parents or carers are welcome to ask to join the program.
The Let’s Start program is a multi-group early intervention program lead by trained group leaders that runs for ten weeks during the school term. It is being implemented and evaluated in a partnership between Charles Darwin University, the NT Department of Employment, Education and Training and participating schools.
We work with teachers and parents so they can refer a child to the program. The teacher or parent fills in a referral form giving us information about the child and the Let's Start Team use this information to offer places to children and their parents in the program.
Our program works with small groups of children (6 – 8 children), so if we do not have a place in a current group you may be asked to stay on a waiting list until we are running another program.
Does the program cost money?
The program is free to all parents and children. Sessions are held at local schools and community venues.
How do I get involved?
To get involved or to get more information on Let’s Start contact:
The Let’s Start Team
School for Social and Policy Research
Charles Darwin University
Casuarina NT 0909
Phone: (08) 8946 6652 or (08) 8946 6720
Email: letsstart@cdu.edu.au
Our partners
Let’s Start works with partner schools and community organisations. We coordinate closely with primary schools in the Darwin, Palmerston and rural areas, and schools on the Tiwi Islands. We always include the classroom teacher of your child. Current partner schools include 29 government and private schools. During 2008 we will be conducting programs at Bagot Reserve and the Palmerston Indigenous Village.
We also link in with a range of community organisations who work to support children and families.
How will we know that Let’s Start really works?
The Let’s Start Program records information that will help the program to evaluate how it is helping children and their families.This information is statistical and does not identify individual children or families. The program uses the information for reporting to the Territory and Federal governments along with research organisations.
Let's Start is an Early Childhood - Invest to Grow initiative - funded by the Australian Government under the Stronger Families and Community Strategy. Additional funding has been received from the NT Government and the Australian Research Council. It is an applied research initiative of the School for Social and Policy Research at Charles Darwin University.
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