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• Mobile play and pre-school

Funbus

The mobile community facility operates through a partnership between the Youth and Play Service and Sure Start in North Huyton. There are three strands of work:

• Play
• Promotions
• Family learning

Play
The funbus offers play opportunities for children aged 2 to 4 years in the North Huyton Sure Start area who are not accessing any play services. All activities are planned to early years foundation stage stepping stones. These activities help to develop skills in the following areas:

• physical
• mathematical
• social and emotional
• language and literacy
• knowledge and understanding
• creative skills

Children must be registered to attend the two hour play session, which is delivered by qualified play staff and nursery nurses.

Visitors to the funbus include:

• Knowsley library service
• Sure Start toy library
• Sure Start portage worker
• New Deal for communities and Sure Start speech and language therapist

Promotions
The mobile community facility has been working in partnership with:

• Community Wellbeing Team
• Benefits Advice Service
• Energy Efficiency Team
• Primary Care Trust

Knowsley's town centres area some of the venues that have been used for promotions and the funbus regularly attends fun days including:

• Knowsley flower show
• national play day
• cultural days

Family learning
These sessions have proved a great success since the start of the programme in 2004. The 'Share Family Learning' programme includes early years play, healthy living and early years life skills. These are just some of the themes that have been used to develop quality fun activities for parents, carers and children.

Parents and carers attending have the option for their work to be accredited by the Merseyside Open College Network (MOCN). These courses provide parents and carers with the opportunity to access further education and training if they so choose.

For further information contact the mobile community facility on 0151 443 5321.

Pre-school development (Sure Start)
The Sure Start funded pre-school development project aims to develop and support groups and activities for the under 5's in the North Huyton Sure Start area.

Examples of the sessions which operate are:

• pool club - water play for babies and toddlers
• chatterboxes - socialisation and play sessions
• baby massage - learning to relax and bond with your baby
• jelly babies - singing group for under 5's
• grandparents and carers group - chance to network and meet other grandparents and carers whilst children play.

The pre-school development project works alongside portage, midwives and other Sure Start professionals. The project offers under 5's an opportunity to enjoy activities and develop through various experiences, whilst empowering the adults to gain confidence and develop activities and groups themselves.

For further information contact pre-school development on 0151 443 5339.