The achievements of parents and carers were recognised at a Flying Start Parents Celebration Event that took place at Cardiff City Hall recently.
The event celebrated the hard work and commitment that it has taken for the parents and carers to complete and pass a range of courses offered by Flying Start teams, some of which are accredited by Agored Cymru. The courses all have elements that need to be practised or completed at home, in their own time and therefore the parents have needed the support of their families which is why Flying Start hosted the family event.
All the parents and carers were presented with certificates by Deputy Leader Sue Lent who has Cabinet responsibility for early years, children and families.
Commenting on the event, Councillor Sue Lent said: “I would like to congratulate all of this year’s learners and highlight the role the whole family plays in supporting parents and carers to participate in and complete these Flying Start courses.
“The Council is committed to ensuring good educational outcomes for children and I hope that by completing these courses, the parents will be inspired to keep on learning, inspired to support their children’s learning and that the families continue to benefit from all that Flying Start offers.”
Avril Hooper, City of Cardiff Council’s Operational Manager for Flying Start and Childcare, also congratulated the learners and said, “It was great to meet the parents and carers who have learnt new skills as well as their families who will be benefiting from the great courses and learning opportunities on offer through the Flying Start service.
“Children’s early years are an important period and experiences at this time impact greatly on children’s future development – so it is very important to get it right and these parents and carers are showing how it should be done.”
Hosting the event meant that the children could see their parents receive credit for the hard work that they have done to support their families, and that they were able to celebrate their achievements together. The parents and carers were recognised for their commitment to passing the following courses, some of which are accredited by Agored Cymru:
- Get Cooking – a an 8 week practical cookery course. To achieve the level 1, 2 credit Agored Cymru award, participants are required to cook at least 12 healthy family meals, work safely in the kitchen, follow good food hygiene and show that they can use a variety different cooking methods.
- Language and Play programmes – Provide parents with practical tips and ideas to develop children’s language through a range of fun and interactive programmes of work. Parents complete a work book to achieve a Level 1, 2 credit Agored Cymru award.
- Parent Nurturing Programme – explores tips and strategies on managing your child’s behaviour, and handling feelings and relationships – with children and other adults. It helps parents get the best out of family life, helping to keep things calm and taking away some of the difficulties, hard work and frustration that comes with living together as a family.
- You Make the Difference group focuses on how adults interact with children and explores ideas on how to help little ones get their language, learning and social skills off to a good start.
Some of the comments from the parents on the day included:
“It was a wonderful time, enjoyed all the activities, great for the children, so much fun, no pressure on us.”
“Thank you for the welcome. An exceptional day. The children enjoyed it and the parents appreciated getting out of the house and socialising. Great to see a smile on everyone’s face! The staff were excellent as well.”
The families were then treated to face painting and a magician was on hand to entertain the children. In addition, each family also received a free goody bag with items to promote outdoor play including balls, Frisbees and suncream, as well as a voucher for entrance to Parc Play.
