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Our vision for early years and SEND

The early years of a child’s life lays the foundation for their future health, wellbeing and learning potential. It’s vital that babies and young children with SEND have access to quality early years support. Our experience shows that when you get this right, it can be life-changing.

Our services

We’re proud of the range of services we deliver to support babies and toddlers in the early years. 

Inclusive and specialist nurseries in Basingstoke and Birmingham which enable children to explore, interact, and grow together.

Early Years and SEND family groups in many communities, from Birmingham to Hull, where all kinds of children with SEND are given opportunities they simply cannot find in other settings.

Smaller welcoming environments that meet their needs, where practitioners meet them where they are and give time and space to each individual.

Portage in Camden and Southwark where practitioners make weekly home visits to families who have children with additional support needs. Our practitioners work in partnership with families to explore their child’s abilities and plan exciting activities that propel their development to the next level.

Navigators in Birmingham where our practitioners provide a single point of contact for families with disabled children under 5. Our practitioners support parents with crucial aspects of parenting, from establishing routines to nurturing emotional wellbeing.

Real-life stories

Hamza's story

Hamza is three years old and is awaiting an assessment from the CDC. He attends our Kids Family Group in Birmingham.

Hamza is crouched on the floor, playing with trucks in a sand tray.

Chloe's story

Chloe is autistic and has global developmental delay and epilepsy. She attends our inclusive Basingstoke Nursery.

A child walking while holding a lunch bag.

Logan's story

Logan is three years old and is autistic. He attended our Kids Family Group in Birmingham with his mother Lisa.

Children are sitting on the floor. Lights are projected on the ground for them to look at.

Barriers to access

All too often children with SEND are not able to access the right early years provision. We’ve identified the five biggest barriers to access for them.

Funding issues

It is widely reported that SEND funding in early years settings, along with their early years rate, isn’t enough to provide the quality of care needed for children with SEND.

Lack of data

Data on the needs of children with SEND in early years has never been routinely collected or published.

Insufficiency of places

Alarmingly only 6% of local authorities in England have enough childcare places for children with disabilities.

Negative attitudes

When it comes to wider play and social opportunities in the community, parents tell us they have felt judged and isolated attending some universal services and so no longer attend, meaning children with SEND are excluded from social and development opportunities.

Workforce pressures

The early years sector has been described as having a staffing crisis. Along with the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, we recommend that urgent action is required to ‘rescue’ the sector through a comprehensive early years workforce strategy.

Our policy recommendations

Reorganise funding

Money matters and boosting investment in babies and toddlers with SEND to give them the strongest start is essential. However, positive changes can also be delivered within existing budgets by reorganising the current funding regime without adding costs.

Champion truly inclusive nurseries

In a truly inclusive setting children with SEND benefit from additional therapies, specialist workforce and a supported pathway to the right school. This approach supports all children to thrive, in a way a universal offer alone could not.

Deliver tailored help and guidance – the ‘Navigator’ model

A significant challenge for parents in getting the right help for their child in the early years is navigating a complex health, care and education system. Kids has pioneered the SEND Community Navigator model in one local area to provide a single point of contact for rounded support and guidance to ease the burden on families.

Early years stories

A family of four photographed together. There is a white background behind them
Early years
12 Apr 2024

Sharon’s story

Sharon explains how Kids' early intervention helped her children with SEND thrive. 

A boy is kneeling in front of a sensory play tray. There is a woman next to him
Early years
19 Mar 2024

Only 6% of local authorities offer enough SEND childcare  

Coram Family and Childcare released the Childcare Survey 2024 results. Read our response.

A boy is playing with toys on an activity wall
Early years
6 Mar 2024

Our response to the Spring Budget – 2024

Once again over 1 in 10 of the UK’s children have gone unseen and unheard. Read our response to the Spring Budget.

Hamza is crouched on the floor, playing with trucks in a sand tray.
Early years
9 Oct 2023

Hamza’s story

Hamza is three years old and attends the Kids Family Group in Birmingham. Read his story.

Three children are sitting around a kids table with a staff member. They are pretending to have lunch with toys.
Early years
9 Oct 2023

Zack, Zayn and Zander’s story

Hear from Emma, whose three boys have gone to our Kids Family Centre Nursery in Birmingham. 

A child is photographed from behind, hugging a staff member who is kneeling on the floor.
Early years
9 Oct 2023

Zach’s story

Zach is four years old and has ASD, GDD, sensory issues and learning difficulties. Read his story.

A girl is photographed from the side. She is putting a fake baby into a baby bathtub.
Early years
5 Oct 2023

Freya’s story

Freya has suspected ASD and sensory difficulties. Her parents Natalie and Ayrton reached out to Kids for support.

A child is playing with sensory toys at Basingstoke Nursery.
Early years
5 Oct 2023

Oliver’s story

Oliver is three years old and shows signs of autism. His dad, Josh, talks about how Oliver has grown since attending our Family Group in Birmingham.

Children are sitting on the floor. Lights are projected on the ground for them to look at.
Early years
5 Oct 2023

Logan’s story

Logan is three years old and attended the Kids Family Group from January-March 2023. His mum Lisa writes about his development during that time.

A boy is inside a playground playhouse. He is sitting by the window, his back to the camera.
Early years
5 Oct 2023

Kian and Kylo’s story

Sarah and her boys attend Kids' Family Group in Birmingham. Read their story.

A child is photographed from behind, playing with sensory toys on a table.
Early years
5 Oct 2023

Isacc’s story

Isacc is four years old and attends our Family Group. His mum, Leanne, tells us about the improvements she's seen in Isacc's communications skills.

Two boys are playing with toys attached to a board on the wall.
Early years
4 Oct 2023

Franco and Luciano’s story

Read about Franco and Luciano, two boys who attended our Basingstoke Nursery.

A staff member is helping a child drink water from a water bottle.
Early years
4 Oct 2023

Izzy’s story

Izzy has Global Developmental Delay and attends our Birmingham Family Group. Read her story.

Jenson is sitting on a car seat and is holding a blue water bottle.
Early years
13 Aug 2023

Jenson’s story

Jenson is three years old and has just started attending our Kids Family Group. His parent, Rhian, shares their story.

Photo of a boy's profile. His head is turned slightly to face the camera.
Early years
20 Jul 2023

Our vision for early years and SEND

We believe it’s vital that babies and young children with SEND have access to quality early years support. Read more.

A staff member is walking with a child in a green area. They are photographed from behind.
Early years
22 Apr 2023

Selma’s story

Selma is a young girl with Down's syndrome. Her parents reached out to our Mediation service for support. Read their story.