Starting up a new baby and toddler group can seem a daunting task, so we’ve spoken to Fiona, Annette, Heather, Hope, Penny and Farzana, our team of early years leads in Bradford – who, between them, support nearly 100 groups – to ask for their tips and advice for anyone setting out as a new group leader.
We always find it inspiring when we’re approached by people wanting to start a group, especially when we hear about their motivation for doing so. In many cases, a real need in the community has been identified – perhaps because they themselves have found nowhere to take young children and know firsthand the benefits to families of socialising and being together.
For many groups, finding a suitable venue at an affordable price is one of the initial steps to take. The recent financial challenges have had an impact on many community buildings too, with rising rents reflecting this. It’s always worth talking to building owners and managers to explain the reason for the group: not to make a profit, but to bring the community together and connect families. We know parents and carers that first meet at the baby and toddler group will meet again, using and contributing to community resources and facilities, ensuring their relevance and sustainability into the future.
One key area that’s helpful for new groups is doing some preliminary research around what else is running in the community, and the dates and times for this. If your group is going to be running at the same time as, or overlapping with another, then are there enough families that will be paying to attend your group to cover any costs? This is where being aware of your break-even point really matters – would it be better to move to another day and/or time?
Following on from this, we get lots of questions about finances – having that money up front to pay the rent, get insurance and buy resources. When applying for funding to cover these costs, a bank account may be a pre-condition and these can take time to set up, so being aware of that is key. Many banks will also require documentation such as a constitution or ID, so getting these ready beforehand can reduce any delays.
Once a venue has been found and the finances sorted, it’s important that groups consider key policies and procedures around – for example, health and safety and insurance. Families need to be kept safe so spending time developing a robust risk assessment is vital to identify potential hazards and remove or minimise these. It doesn’t need to be complicated; depending on individual circumstances, it could be as simple as ensuring that families keep the door to the outside properly closed, that children aren’t allowed in the kitchen, and that parents/carers are, at all times, responsible for their own children. What matters is that it’s relevant and accurate for each group, and then kept up to date. Other policies to consider include equality and inclusivity, promoting positive behaviour and first aid.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, so we would always recommend group leaders and volunteers completing safeguarding training either from their local authority, the NSPCC or through the Early Years Alliance.
We get lots of questions about the type of resources that a group needs and how to design the room layout. It’s important to consider the age and stage of development of the children and also the potential numbers attending to ensure that their needs are met without exits being blocked by piles of equipment. Try to have a range of toys including those that allow for more open-ended play where the process rather than the product is the focus. Toys don’t need to be expensive; in fact, some of the best are provided free from nature, such as pinecones, or at low cost, such as fabrics and pots and pans. Toys do need to be safe, so check out the safety marks to make sure that they’re suitable – pay particular attention to any that have batteries (if you choose to have these) to ensure that the batteries can’t be accessed by the children. Many groups like to include craft activities, too, and it’s good practice to think how these can support families in understanding how children’s creativity should be valued and promoted.
Finally, running a group takes time and effort; if you can share the workload, it will help to guarantee that the group continues long into the future. Think about ways to engage with volunteers to support you; it’s not just the group that will benefit, they will too.
Good luck with starting your new group! Don’t forget the resources to support you from the Early Years Alliance, such as the baby and toddler membership package (including EduCare, Law-Call, and membership and customer services), our , ongoing articles in Under 5 magazine, and our main Alliance website.