Early years services and support
For SEMH services and support for early years use the following information, links and downloads.
General support
- Early Years in Mind - Anna Freud
- Home - TLC - Essex Talk Listen Cuddle
Assessment and teaching resources
- Wellbeing measurement for early years settings (annafreud.org) - includes tools that can be used to measure wellbeing robustly and consistently
- The Colour Monster - book to support emotional literacy by Anna Llenas
Diversity
- Helping young children to think about race in the early years - Anna Freud support booklet for working with under-5s in educational and community settings
- Let’s Talk: Our diverse world (Word, 41KB) - Guidance to create and enhance learning environments to promote and celebrate diversity
SEND
- For services to support SEMH for deaf children visit the Anna Freud Deafness and me: A toolkit for early years practitioners web page.
- Anna Freud Centre A guide to neurodiversity in the early years - introduce the concept of neurodiversity, consider how ableism is a barrier to inclusion, explore neurodivergent profiles of development, and develop practical approaches to becoming neurodiversity-informed within our early years practice
Training
- SEMH Training - Essex Schools Infolink
- Early Years Fundamentals Webinar Series | Training | Anna Freud Centre: - bite-size training on topics of key importance to professionals
- Early years child development training - Free, online DfE training providing an overview of child development including reception years
Transitions support
- 10 ways to support children (and parents) in preparing for school - FirstDiscoverers guidance
- Essex 'My Transition to School’ passport - Tool to support transition of children from their early years setting into school
- Getting ready to start primary school - Place2Be guidance
- Transitions in early years - Ideas for supporting children and families - Teach Early Years guidance
- Starting school - Books to help ease the transition - List of books from twinkl
- Starting school - Books to help ease the transition - List of books from childhood101
- The Invisible String: 1 - Book by Patrice Karst
- The Colour Monster Goes to School: Perfect book to tackle school nerves - Book by Anna Llenas