Kate launches new campaign about importance of early childhood?

[AllOutofEverything]

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?

Do the Wales' receive funding from the sovereign grant? I thought they were funded via the Duchy of Cornwall.

Because everyone already knows this. She's not breaking new ground here.

They receive support from the sovereign grant through Charles paying for various things such as clothing.
The Duchy of Cornwall is a big con that is our money, but creamed off by the Royal Family. The Royal Family do not own the properties and land under the Duchy of Cornwall. The Royal Family claim they are private properties to stop the government interfering, and then claim they are public properties if it creates legal or financial advantages.

I suspect she's only interested in this subject because she has young kids. When they are older I bet she pops up again with an "initiative" on teenagers and social media/anorexia/whatnot. ie whatever her kids are dealing with!

I've had a look at the website and report and findings. Usually theres a bit in reports like this that says this is what we will do as a result of our findings... It's lacking here.

Seems 'raising awareness ' is the thing.

The raising awareness part is fine if it tells people what to do. So research shows that under fives benefit from having a book read to them every night, or for over threes to spend an average of five hours a week playing with other children. Those examples are made up, but it gives parents an idea of what they should be doing.
Simply saying early years matter is vacuous and meaningless.

I was working in Early Years 15 years ago with some amazing experts in the field, who had produced tons of research, run and evaluated early intervention programmes and were crying out for more funding on the ground.

To have Kate talk about awareness raising is frankly ridiculous. People who struggle don't need explaining the 'value of early years', they need practical support. If she were to set up something akin to the Prince's Trust but for that age group, I would respect her so much more.

She helped with the creation of this www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people, she heavily promoted it at the time and the description says that ‘HRH The Duchess of Cambridge has been involved in the creative development of Tiny Happy People, the BBC's early years language and communication initiative, fuelled by her passion for giving children the best start in life.’

Hopefully this link works! www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people

But they started small too! I used to write the cheques for one of the regional Prince's Trust committees - literally just a handful each month. Look at the organisation it has now become.

Yes, and I don't remember any Minister for Education for the last umpteen decades, from either party, pointing this out, and it wouldn't take many moments.
A child started school. He could barely speak to an adult. He wasn't deaf or special needs. He had neglectful parents who looked after him enough but didn't interact with him. The headmistress knew there was a younger child at home and suggested Mum chat to the child etc, and the Mum said it hardly seemed worth while talking to a baby or young person because they couldn't chat back. Bring on all the Kates and Dolly Partons of this world to get the message over.

@ajandjjmum Princes Trust were delivering youth projects to disadvantaged young people. They did not have as many projects at they do now, but it was practical delivery with youth workers . The grants built up far more slowly.
As I said I knew of youth projects they were delivering 4 or 5 years after the Trust was founded.
The early years stuff has been going on for over 10 years. Imagine if Kates early years centre had been delivering practical projects to under fives for the last 8 or 9 years? Nursery education, work with parents, baby banks to help with clothes and equipment, etc. It would be amazing and make a real difference. That would be the equivalent to the Princes Trust. Instead Kate simply keeps saying she is learning.

The website does not say that. It says it is a BBC initiative and they have a range of fourteen partners including the Royal Foundation. Did the foundation give a grant?

Well, what's wrong with that? If you have small children why wouldn't you be interested in the early years? When they've become teenagers why wouldn't you be interested in the development of youngsters in those years? Surely it's natural.

It is pretty self centred.

When they've become teenagers why wouldn't you be interested in the development of youngsters in those years? Surely it's natural.

meh. It's like all the young women at my workplace who told me i could stop fighting for equal rights because we all had it. Then whinged and moaned when they had kids and found it hard, then found it hard when school started etc etc. Who had ignored my issues and problems etc. So meh.

This isn't new news. It isn't rocket science either. The government should have been all over this from the start.

Since the tories did away with surestart, anything is worth while

@AllOutofEverything The early years stuff has been going on for over 10 years. Imagine if Kates early years centre had been delivering practical projects to under fives for the last 8 or 9 years? Nursery education, work with parents, baby banks to help with clothes and equipment, etc. It would be amazing and make a real difference. That would be the equivalent to the Princes Trust. Instead Kate simply keeps saying she is learning.

I know right. Kate's endless "listening and learning" is holding the project back, for 10 years! She needs to have listened and learned already. I wonder how frustrated the experts must feel at having to funnel their expertise through her to get anything done.

I'd have more respect for her if she campaigned for the woeful resources for autism and child mental health.

Princes Trust were delivering youth projects to disadvantaged young people. They did not have as many projects at they do now, but it was practical delivery with youth workers . The grants built up far more slowly. As I said I knew of youth projects they were delivering 4 or 5 years after the Trust was founded.

Totally. I don't want to bore everyone with my friend's experience, but needless to say she was helped in either 1979 or 1980 (can't remember which it was but Princes Trust was v new) and I can't begin to tell you what a difference it made to her life. Unbelievable actually. But I have told that story on here before.

I agree. Often on here people are worried about their child's poor speech and language development and shoals of posts appear saying that it will come right and don't worry. Well that might not be the case. There may be undiagnosed hearing loss, specific language disorder etc etc. Poor phonological awareness leads to poor reading and spelling.
The pandemic has had a disastrous effect on young children. A SALT friend of mine had to try and treat patients with a mask on. Lessons over zoom.
Even simple advice like getting rid of dummies and limiting screen time would be a start.

I agree. I have seen comments on MN that dummies are not an issue at all. This is wrong and parents need to know.

So, early years, teen mental health, autism, child mental health. Anything else? Why don't you just say you don't like Kate/royal family and it doesn't matter what they do it will never be enough? There really does seem to be a concerted hate campaign going on at moment. It's been noticed by several journalists. No-one deserves it.

@Coxspurplepippin Kate seems fine and much nicer than Charles. But she and William also seem lazy and only do pr, and they do that very badly.

In your opinion.