I saw this thread earlier and it's been bugging me since (I see its gone a bit off topic now too) but Kate's early years project really is quite patronising.
I worked for Surestart around 15 years ago, the importance of early years is not new, there was a lack of services then and its only got worse since. 'Raising awareness' is helping no one.
Surestart wasn't perfect but it did a lot of good work. Sure parenting classes were often filled by middle class mums cause let's face it Kate with 3 under 3 on the 6th floor of an apartment block and no lift is hardly going to drag her ass and 3 kids down 6 flights of stairs and a 15 minute walk when she has been helping raise younger siblings, nieces and nephews and cousins since she can remember. Equally middle class mums are not immune to PND or DV. The fact that surestart centres welcomed everyone was a bonus.
Kate doesn't need parenting classes, she is in fact a good mum but between 3 kids, the evening cleaning job, money worries, mould in the flat and helping her disabled neighbour she really doesn't have the time or energy to create meaningful play opportunities in her damp, cramped flat.
Kate might come though for the free coffee and biscuits at play group where her kids develop their gross and fine motor skills and interact with early years specialists, trust is built and referrals made. Or maybe for sing and sign where verbal and non verbal communication skills are developed.
For the mobile toy library, live story time where the toddlers dress up and engage with the books by acting out the experiences (One of my all time favourites was 'where the wild things are' story time, where we made crowns and danced like the wild things, we talked to the parents about dealing with tantrums and arguments constructively in a natural non forced way and the parents shared their tips and experiences) Or one of the many other services provided.
A huge part of my work was with those families that just couldn't access services because of fear, mistrust, pnd, life shit etc.. I went to them, I sat on thier sofa. I attended meetings with them, made sure their kids were accessing free early years education, called the housing office to sort out the damp when they had been passed from pillar to post, made sure they were getting the correct support and if I was really lucky, in some cases slowly built up trust that allowed them to feel safe to come to a Surestart centre.
I am not a child development expert but I was surrounded by a team of HVs, midwives, QTs, early years specialists, other community providers (HomeStart were amazing) PCSOs, with a network of contacts at the council, community centres, furniture recycling projects etc..
Every childcare setting is full of child development experts working on the front line and being paid a pittance for the amazing work they do.
Families in need don't need more groups of professional 'experts' they need investment in services, they need better housing, clean and safe parks, family friendly work opportunities, childcare that doesn't cost more than your salary, they need to be able to see a doctor, HV, midwife, Police officer etc.. Once we sort out all this, once parents are not spending their days battling for just basic provisions, when they can afford to eat and heat the house without taking on a third job, then they can devote some head space to their child's development needs.
In the meantime, for those struggling, being told how important these years are and if you are not doing all you can to give your child the best start in life they will never achieve is just going to add to their feelings of failure and stress. As the saying goes talk is cheap and in this particular case can also be very damaging.