The progress check at age two has three main purposes

1. Partnership with parents. While practitioners and other professionals can support children’s development and wellbeing individually, they can achieve so much more by working together. ‘Parent’ is used to refer to parents, carers and guardians. 2. Action for every child. Writing down observations and sharing reports do not help children. Practitioners need to listen to the child, talk with each other and then plan together. Working together can make a difference. 3. Early identification. Some children need extra help for a while as they grow and develop – for example, with their communication. Other children may have long-term developmental needs. Some families may struggle and need support. Whatever the circumstances, sensitive early intervention can make a big difference. Children develop rapidly between the ages of two and three– practitioners need to be quick to support and identify help where it is needed.

Effective Partnerships

The evidence tells us that the early home learning environment is an important factor in children’s success at school and in life:

• The home learning environment is an important factor in the development of early speech, language and communication. The child’s experiences in the home learning environment not only have an impact on their development during this phase, but explain differences in children’s outcomes at GCSE and A level. The benefits of early speech, language and communication flow into adulthood.
• Good communication enables children and adults to talk about their feelings and manage their emotions.
• The home learning environment is related to children’s social and emotional development in the early years. The benefits of a stimulating environment can continue until age 16
• The quality of the home learning environment is as important to intellectual and cognitive development as parental factors, such as occupation and education. This suggests that what parents do with their child is just as important as who they are.

As practitioners in the early years, we are well-placed to help parents understand their child’s needs. We can support parents to enhance their child’s wellbeing and development at home. This can have lifelong benefits.

What is the progress check?

The progress check at age two aims to:

• review a child’s development
• celebrate areas where the child is making good progress
• identify any areas of concern or where progress is not as expected, so that parents, practitioners and other professionals such as speech and language therapists, physiotherapists or dieticians can put appropriate support in place
• help parents to understand their child’s needs and enhance their child’s development at home
• invite parents to share their unique knowledge about their child, family and culture

Both the setting and the family benefit from sharing information and resources. As practitioners, we can deepen our understanding of children’s lives, families and communities and use this understanding to celebrate diversity through the resources and play activities we offer. The child’s key person, who usually knows the child best, should take the lead in completing the progress check at age two, which will be informed by:

• professional judgement and careful observation
• the voice of the child
• the views of the child’s parents – parents are experts on their own child
• views of any other professionals such as GPs or health visitors, if appropriate

All children have the right to be listened to and valued in the setting. With the right support, children can identify what they have enjoyed or found difficult and assess their own progress. Very young children, including children with SEND, may tell us what they are thinking and feeling through words, or they might use gestures, actions and body language.