Page 4 | Kate launches new campaign about importance of early childhood?

AllOutofEverything · 2023-01-31T12:26:34+00:00

I have been reading about how Kate is launching a new awareness raising campaign about the importance of early childhood. I had thought she launched this years ago and since then we have had the survey with the 5 big questions, her visits to nurseries, and her meetings with Early Years experts. I can't see how this is any different from what was announced in the past?

Pandaphonium · 31/01/2023 14:30

Lavendersquare · 31/01/2023 13:33

This is definitely not a 'New' thing she's allegedly been working on this for years, that said you'll never hear her speak because she's truly awful at speaking in public and the Royals are protecting her from ridicule.

She really struggles from being compared to Megan who has been an avid campaigner since her teens and has addressed the UN amongst other distinguished bodies. Megan is also a natural public speaker and again this make Kate look bad.

I don't dislike Kate but she's never really worked and in my opinion never used her elite education, so it's about time she did something and is seen to be doing it.

Haha nice one, yes Meghan who just copies the words of others and takes credit for the work of others- really inspiring.

I don't see the problem with Kate working on this, she has been very transparent about the hard work the experts have put in and isn't taking credit. Anything that highlights the gaping hole left by government cuts to initiatives and support is brilliant. She seems to be really great with children as well, it's obviously a passion project and she's putting her platform, connections and time to good use.

Pandaphonium · 31/01/2023 14:32

DewinDwl · 31/01/2023 14:00

This bugs me so much because I work in this field.

You would have to be very sheltered and intellectually lacking to not know / understand / have heard how important the early years are. This has been well understood by successive British governments- especially Labour investing heavily in preschool education Surestart centres, remember those?

Of course funding and research are welcome but so much has already been happening and is already being done. By far the biggest issue in the UK in the early years is social inequality. What new insights is this campaign going to produce?

Literally thousands of people involved in this field have relevant degrees, PHDs, years of work experience, scientific studies published... but we are told Kate has been studying this in depth... I can see how some people might see this campaign as patronising, jumping on an easy, crowd-pleasing band wagon.

I do not doubt KM is intelligent, educated, cares about her children and can appreciate that others are less privileged... but I fail to see how she can make a difference.

You work in the field and don't see the value of someone with a huge public platform and the necessary tools to coordinate all of these professionals into funneling their expertise and knowledge into a common goal? Interesting.

DewinDwl · 31/01/2023 14:37

I do not feel comfortable with this being about KM personally. I think the same issues would be raised if another privileged individual embraced the cause and only produced the (so far) bland, vague, obvious statements we have seen.

I have always thought she should have done something to campaign for better care for hypermesis. I had HG around the same times as her. The health care I received varied enormously (I was underteated, patronised and treated like dirt by some HCP). Many professionals and the public in general don't understand this condition and how devastating and debilitating it can be. This is something in which raising awareness and changing attitudes (i e no cash needed) could make a huge difference to mums and babies.

queenofarles · 31/01/2023 14:38

don't know why an adult woman can't work out for herself that what is happening to children in the UK (the non-privileged ones) is a) down to the government and b) not rocket science.

I kind of agree with you here, success of a child Early years are fundamentally based on Securing basic needs like healthy well nourished meals, secure home , well equipped schools , the easy access of activities to help them mentally and physically develop.
due to underfunding , in some deprived area some or none of these needs are provided .

unless her next step is to highlight these issues in Parliament for example , it’s kind of pointless to rely on charities for example to pitch in ,

crapcrapcrapcrapcrap · 31/01/2023 14:40

Haha nice one, yes Meghan who just copies the words of others and takes credit for the work of others- really inspiring.

Typical that a thread about Kate inevitably turns into Meghan bashing. Yet again. You lot can't live without her!

You work in the field and don't see the value of someone with a huge public platform and the necessary tools to coordinate all of these professionals into funneling their expertise and knowledge into a common goal?

I'm sure all the professionals are pleased to have to funnel their expertise to Kate "to coordinate with all her necessary tools"

CappuccinoFace · 31/01/2023 14:42

It's not really a campaign is it though. 10+ years for saying early years are important 🙄

whoamI00 · 31/01/2023 14:43

I'm first time mum and I'm not British. Personally I was interested in the campaign Big 5 questions and this one as well. I support them in that they're for a good cause and bulding a healthy society but personally I find all the information on the official website abstract and vague. It could have been better.

CombatBarbie · 31/01/2023 14:44

Research shows that early childhood makes a massive impact on how a child progresses through life..... This info was not really in the public domain 10yrs ago, now it's everywhere so I can see why it looks like a reinvention, her target audience is now more willing to take heed than those back then.

Pandaphonium · 31/01/2023 14:45

crapcrapcrapcrapcrap · 31/01/2023 14:40

Haha nice one, yes Meghan who just copies the words of others and takes credit for the work of others- really inspiring.

Typical that a thread about Kate inevitably turns into Meghan bashing. Yet again. You lot can't live without her!

You work in the field and don't see the value of someone with a huge public platform and the necessary tools to coordinate all of these professionals into funneling their expertise and knowledge into a common goal?

I'm sure all the professionals are pleased to have to funnel their expertise to Kate "to coordinate with all her necessary tools"

Because people always bring her up on threads about anyone else in the RF as a supposed example of what an amazing and flawless asset she would have been, when pretty sure that's not any sort of reality.

And yes I'm sure they are, it's extremely hard at the moment to secure funding and also to have a public platform or any sort of in to government; so yes I'm sure they feel pretty good about having this facilitated.

BellatrixLestrangesHeatedCurlers · 31/01/2023 14:46

Didn't Sure Start do this before the funding was cut?

BellatrixLestrangesHeatedCurlers · 31/01/2023 14:48

DewinDwl · 31/01/2023 14:37

I do not feel comfortable with this being about KM personally. I think the same issues would be raised if another privileged individual embraced the cause and only produced the (so far) bland, vague, obvious statements we have seen.

I have always thought she should have done something to campaign for better care for hypermesis. I had HG around the same times as her. The health care I received varied enormously (I was underteated, patronised and treated like dirt by some HCP). Many professionals and the public in general don't understand this condition and how devastating and debilitating it can be. This is something in which raising awareness and changing attitudes (i e no cash needed) could make a huge difference to mums and babies.

She has never done work with HG charities/awareness because she never had HG. She was spotted out and about shopping the same day as she cried off engagements, multiple times. HG was made up as an excuse and it's insulting to women who have actually suffered it.

DewinDwl · 31/01/2023 14:51

😲

GentlySobbing · 31/01/2023 14:55

DewinDwl · 31/01/2023 14:00

This bugs me so much because I work in this field.

You would have to be very sheltered and intellectually lacking to not know / understand / have heard how important the early years are. This has been well understood by successive British governments- especially Labour investing heavily in preschool education Surestart centres, remember those?

Of course funding and research are welcome but so much has already been happening and is already being done. By far the biggest issue in the UK in the early years is social inequality. What new insights is this campaign going to produce?

Literally thousands of people involved in this field have relevant degrees, PHDs, years of work experience, scientific studies published... but we are told Kate has been studying this in depth... I can see how some people might see this campaign as patronising, jumping on an easy, crowd-pleasing band wagon.

I do not doubt KM is intelligent, educated, cares about her children and can appreciate that others are less privileged... but I fail to see how she can make a difference.

But you aren't the target audience of this campaign.

A huge number of adults in this country barely have functional literacy or numeracy skills. Some of them are raising children. Scientists may well have been doing detailed analysis on this topic for decades, but in order for that to be turned into something practical it needs to be distilled and disseminated in a form that is accessible to the adults actually raising children, and that includes parents who have low literacy levels and need clear and simple messaging. Because there is no getting around the fact that the biggest influence on a child is their parents.

derxa · 31/01/2023 15:00

BellatrixLestrangesHeatedCurlers · 31/01/2023 14:48

She has never done work with HG charities/awareness because she never had HG. She was spotted out and about shopping the same day as she cried off engagements, multiple times. HG was made up as an excuse and it's insulting to women who have actually suffered it.

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🙄When was this? She's been pregnant 3 times.

Original poster

AllOutofEverything · 31/01/2023 15:04

themessygarden · 31/01/2023 14:17

I understand from someone whose charity they visited, that they make their own personal financial donations, but the charities are restricted from publicising it. Not sure if they made a donation to the food bank in this instance, but I suspect they would have done.

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One of these donations was later revealed to be for £25.

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DoubleShotEspresso · 31/01/2023 15:04

I can't see the harm in this at all OP.

At this time more than ever support for early years (well all aged children really tbh) is needed. If Kate can bring it to the forefront of thinking I say good for her.

I wish we could stop all this point scoring type of commenting on the whole Kate/William/Meghan/Harry stuff.

Original poster

AllOutofEverything · 31/01/2023 15:09

GentlySobbing · 31/01/2023 14:55

But you aren't the target audience of this campaign.

A huge number of adults in this country barely have functional literacy or numeracy skills. Some of them are raising children. Scientists may well have been doing detailed analysis on this topic for decades, but in order for that to be turned into something practical it needs to be distilled and disseminated in a form that is accessible to the adults actually raising children, and that includes parents who have low literacy levels and need clear and simple messaging. Because there is no getting around the fact that the biggest influence on a child is their parents.

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Literally all she says is that the early years are crucial. How does that help parents with low levels of literacy? You have to tell people what they do with that information, otherwise it is meaningless.

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Original poster

AllOutofEverything · 31/01/2023 15:19

I would really support this if it actually did something. I know what good awareness campaigns look like and this is not it.
There is no real actions or anything that comes out of these relaunches. Literally all there is:

Monthly meetings with early years experts. There seems to be no results from this.
Twice yearly meetings with another set of experts.
A five question survey that was pretty much the same as the survey that had happened previously without her input.
Photo opps in nurseries.
Kate saying every so often how crucial the early years are.

That is it. And it has been supposedly her lives work for over 10 years.

Look at the Princes Trust set up in 1976. By the early 1980s I already knew about excellent work it was doing in the very poor area I grew up in. It was engaging very difficult kids and making a real difference to their lives.

Kate gets a lot of criticism for her work because it is very obviously just fluff pr. She could achieve real things if she wanted to.

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Particularprick · 31/01/2023 15:28

I've read the news reports about this and from what I can see neither her nor the charity involved have (a) taken any action to help early years or (be) suggested things that can be done or (c) made any asks of the government.

In summary the campaign is 'early years are important ' with no action or anything else.

I expect nothing less (or should that be more?) from Kate.

Pandaphonium · 31/01/2023 15:52

Particularprick · 31/01/2023 15:28

I've read the news reports about this and from what I can see neither her nor the charity involved have (a) taken any action to help early years or (be) suggested things that can be done or (c) made any asks of the government.

In summary the campaign is 'early years are important ' with no action or anything else.

I expect nothing less (or should that be more?) from Kate.

It alternatively you could read on their website what they're doing and have done?

Aphrathestorm · 31/01/2023 15:52

It's nothing on the princes trust or the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

Those two are in their 40s and have done sweet FA for this country. Yet they get to rule us in a decade.

BellePeppa · 31/01/2023 15:53

lollipoprainbow · 31/01/2023 12:49

Find it completely patronising.

Ridiculous. The early years development are the most important years. How is it patronising?

Original poster

AllOutofEverything · 31/01/2023 15:56

@Particularprick They have done nothing. Even the film just released is incredibly short and just says early years are important.

It would be like a physical health charity saying exercise is important. Although true it would do nothing alone to increase the amount of exercise people take.

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Coxspurplepippin · 31/01/2023 15:56

x2boys · 31/01/2023 13:08

It's patronizing that a women of enormous wealth who.has nannies ,tutors ,exclusive private schools ,living in absolute luxury to help with her own children feels she has anything to.offer the Plebs.

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Does that apply to anyone with enormous wealth, nannies, sends their kids to private school etc or just this one woman, trying to do a good thing, who you obviously have some kind of personal issue with?

Original poster

AllOutofEverything · 31/01/2023 15:57

@Coxspurplepippin She is paid by the taxpayers. This is the work she does for that pay.

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