Would you like to partner with Save The Children Cymru  to expand the impact of our work across Wales?

The Bettws Early Learning Community (BELC) launched in September 2019 with the aim of improving early learning outcomes for children in Bettws, Newport. Since then, BELC partners have been working together  to improving the early learning outcomes of children growing up in poverty.

Local organisations come together to make sure that children are getting the support they need to thrive, learn and grow up in a place they can be proud of. We know this approach is making an impact. Working together and keeping children at the centre of what we do can bring long term sustainable change. That’s the approach we are using in Bettws, Newport and now we want to expand our understanding of the model by testing it in another area in Wales.

What is the Bettws Early Learning Community Ehangu (Expand) Project?

Save The Children Cymru would like to work collaboratively in another area as they test this approach.

From today (Wednesday, 23 November 2022), organisations/partnerships who work with children  from 0-7 years are encouraged to submit a proposal to the Bettws ELC Ehangu (Expand) Fund.

Save The Children Cymru can offer a grant of £45,000 to work with them between January 2023 and December 2024 to do this.

The project aims to:

  • provide seed funding for a small place-based systems change pilot project
  • develop a package of core materials (an ELC ‘Ehangu starter kit’) which can be tailored to other areas as they develop their own partnerships and systems change programmes.
  • develop and test a model of support for STC to share our experience and expertise to help other place-based Early Years partnerships develop

In Bettws as part of this approach we have worked with partners to test new ways of maximising children’s outcomes such as extending the use of school grounds for play outside of school hours. Trailing new ways to support children and their families as they start school, such as forest school sessions and new ways of communicating and sharing information as professionals.  You can find out more at https://bettwselc.org.uk

Rebecca Thomas, Bettws ELC Lead, said, “Save The Children is often asked to share how we are working and what we are learning to help others to develop place-based Early Years systems change projects. There is no one-size-fits-all roadmap, but we do know there are some key elements to developing a systems change project and we would like to test these in action supporting another partnership.”

Project proposals must be submitted by December 14, 2022 and successful proposals will be notified by January 12, 2023.

You can find out more and apply via their website: https://bettwselc.org.uk/bettws-elc-ehangu-expand-project-overview/

If you need more information or help please contact: contact Rebecca Thomas at R.Thomas@savethechildren.org.uk