Early Years Centres

I CAN’s early years centres help pre-school children to overcome their speech and language difficulties so that they can join in and learn alongside their peers. Children receive support through a programme of integrated therapy and education. Without early detection and intervention, some of these children could reach school age without even speaking their first words.

UK-Wide Network
There are 12 early years centres across the UK, developed in partnership with local NHS trusts or health authorities and local education authorities. The network of centres currently provides direct support for approximately 500 children and indirect support for a further 10,250 children. Individual I CAN early years centres measure their progress by:

• Formal standardised assessments
• Measuring children's subsequent educational placements 
• Collecting qualitative information gained from parental questionnaires.
• All I CAN’s early years centres include common features.

 - See the list of our centres around the UK.

Widening the Network - Early Talk Programme
The Need for I CAN's Early Talk

“Services for children with a communication disability are still the exception rather than the norm. Inadequate support can have a devastating impact on a child’s development and learning.” EPPE, 2004.

Practitioners know that early intervention gives children the best chance of success. The importance of early intervention has been highlighted and endorsed in recent national legislation and guidance, as has the importance of communication skills to a child’s educational and life prospects.  Research conducted in 2004 - “The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE)” -proved a direct link between  settings in which staff have higher qualifications and the progress of children attending those settings.

Key findings from research undertaken by the Pre-School Learning Alliance in 2004 , highlight the need for the development of a network for early years practitioners to share their experiences and access support recommending “a forum for highlighting good practice which can then be implemented within their own settings.”

I CAN’s wish to disseminate and share the experience, expertise and specialist knowledge gained through the development of I CAN’s early years programme, has led to the launch of I CAN Early Talk.  I CAN Early Talk is an innovative new initiative for all early years practitioners which addresses some of the recommendations and findings from recent legislation and research.

Proven Effects
I CAN has commissioned research to evaluate the effectiveness of our early years centres. In 2001, Law et al. undertook an independent evaluation to examine the effectiveness of I CAN early years centres for pre-school children with primary speech, language and communication difficulties in comparison to other local provision. The research was commissioned by I CAN, with funding from the Department of Health and the John Ellerman Foundation. The experimental group consisted of 91 children from I CAN early years centres. The control group consisted of 33 children receiving alternative provision.

Find out more:
I CAN's early years programme report, published in 2004, describes the development and delivery of I CAN's early years services and partnerships. Download an executive summary.