Early Years Development Programme

Get the resources, tools and support you need to welcome a child with Down syndrome into your early years setting and promote an inclusive learning environment for all.

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Down Syndrome UK’s Early Years Development Programme is a flexible, online training course developed by Dr Becky Baxter and Sarah Holton. Designed for SENCOs, portage, early years teachers and nursery managers, the programme equips staff with the confidence, knowledge and tools to effectively support children with Down syndrome. Ongoing support and a full year’s access to the programme which includes downloadable practical guidance that fits around your schedule and promotes development in your child.

With funding from...

Why choose us?

DSUK’s Early Years Development Programme (EYDP) is designed and led by experts in their field. You’ll receive a resource package designed for early years professionals supporting children with Down syndrome. This package covers key areas including communication, behaviour, inclusion, learning and physical development, the programme helps staff build confidence and deliver inclusive, developmentally-appropriate support. Includes downloadable materials, video training, and a toolkit of printed resources.

Expert-led

Developed and delivered by Dr Rebecca Baxter in collaboration with a range of experts in their field.

Practical and flexible

Designed with busy staff in mind – easy to follow bite-sized videos, packed with examples and ready to use activities.

Cost-effective

One registration gives access to the full programme for all relevant staff in your setting.

Trusted by professionals

Hundreds of early years professionals across the UK are already using our training to build confidence and improve support for children with Down syndrome.

Ongoing support

We stay with you beyond the training – offering live monthly sessions, downloadable resources, and real-life ideas to keep your team informed and inspired.

Fund the programme through Disability Access Funding (DAF)

Disability Access Funding (DAF) is a government fund that provides £910 per year to early years settings to support children aged two, three and four who receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA). It is intended to help settings make reasonable adjustments or provide additional resources that enable the child to access their funded early education place.

A setting could use DAF to fund access to our Early Years Development Programme for staff supporting the child.

Dr Becky Baxter

This programme is designed and led by Dr. Rebecca Baxter, Director of Education and Speech and Language Therapy at Down Syndrome UK. With over 15 years of experience working with schools and families, Becky has successfully supported hundreds of children with Down syndrome of all ages across a range of education settings. Becky has worked collaboratively with experienced professionals across areas of education and health to develop the programme. Ensuring school staff have access to relevant and up-to-date information from a range of experts in their field

Our programme is rigorously grounded in the scientific understanding of the learning needs of children with Down syndrome. At the same time our services are firmly focused on practical advice designed to improve outcomes for children with Down syndrome in preschool settings.

Sarah Holton

Sarah is our Specialist Advisory Teacher and leads our Early Years Development Programme sessions. She is a qualified teacher with 18 years of primary teaching experiences, specialising in supporting children with Down syndrome. Since 2013 Sarah has managed and delivered a Down syndrome specialist outreach service for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Sarah delivers training for professionals and parents on a variety of topics as well as running education workshops for pupils.

Sarah has worked with DSUK for many years developing our PEGS programme, delivering regular behaviour bootcamps and Information Sharing Sessions on topics including early reading, number and choosing a preschool. More recently she has been involved in the development and delivery of our Early Years Development Programme. She is a mum to two children, one of whom has Down syndrome.

What others had to say about us...

Rosedene Nursery

"I’d like to start off by saying thank you! Purchasing the Early Years Development Programme and the resource pack was one of the best things we did! This has opened up a world of knowledge for myself and the staff team here .... It has enabled us to partake in meaningful activities that are specifically targeted and age and stage appropriate for children with Down Syndrome."

Owls Nursery

Year 2 Teacher

"We at Owls Nursery, have been delighted to receive all the lovely resources from DSUK in relation to the very informative videos provided regarding Down Syndrome. We have found the resources to be clear, bright and eye catching. The child we are supporting has found the toileting social story particularly helpful to follow and a great tool for supporting his independence in this area.The sentence strips have been helpful for our child to communicate his choices of activities but also for his friends to communicate and interact with him as well. The feelings and emotions cards, behaviour chart, sound cards and matching activities are all incorporated into daily nursery routines alongside other teaching resources to further support and develop strengths in all areas of the EYFS curriculum."

Lucy Vinnicombe

mum to Ellis

"Just wanted to shout out the DSUK Early Years Development Programme which provides settings with a variety of video recordings plus a pack of fantastic printed learning resources. Ellis’ nursery used his DAF funding to purchase it and they were blown away by how good it was. Staff members across the whole nursery are accessing the videos for their own professional development and it’s lovely to see Ellis enjoying using the resources alongside his friends."

Anonymous

"I enjoy the pre-recordings and learning independently. Resources are good quality and detailed... I found the modules on the website useful with good pre-recorded sessions. It was helpful they were split into sections with lots of details and resources."

Anonymous

"I really enjoyed the sessions and have found them very relevant and useful... Excellent quality, I feel confident using the resources as they are from a trusted source."

£ 200 PER YEAR

Includes all staff
Unlimited access to resources
Ongoing support from our experts
Can be finded through DAF

FAQs

Our setting finds it difficult to release staff for training at certain times during the day. How can we access the training?

The training recordings, which cover a range of topics, can be used flexibly via the portal at times which best suit the staff working with the child who has Down syndrome. The library of recordings, information and resources includes speech, language and communication, behaviour, learning, health, physical development and toilet training. These can all be used flexibly throughout the year of your subscription.

Do the drop-in sessions run during the day? Are they at specific times?

The live drop-in sessions take place once a month (3pm on the day of the session). They are great opportunity to ask questions about the theme of the session or anything else you would like support with, as well as find out more about the programme and connect with other settings.

Our monthly newsletters for professionals signed up to the EYDP share details of the up-coming sessions. Dates and subject matter are also listed in the EYDP portal.

If a setting has more than one child with Down syndrome attending, is the subscription still the same price?

Yes — the annual subscription covers the entire setting regardless of how many children with Down syndrome attend.

Does the Early Years Development Programme include information on speech, language and communication?

Yes, the EYDP does include a section focused on speech, language and communication. It’s a very valuable resource especially if your setting’s current SALT provision is limited. Maintaining consistency in the use of signing, visuals and spoken language between home and nursery is important.

Can we have additional copies of the printed resource pack we were sent?

Yes, the printed resources from the pack are all in the relevant sections of EYDP portal for you to print out.

Can parents use the same resources from the EYDP at home?

Yes! Settings can share whichever EYDP resources they wish with parents. Some of the resources are already available to parents via DSUK’s pants4school toilet training programme and PEGS programme for parents. All EYDP resources are downloadable from your portal so staff can easily share specific resources they are using with parents. It is important that the setting and parents communicate about what they are using to ensure consistency for the child.

We’re in Wales — is the Early Years Development Programme relevant?

Yes! While the SEN support systems may differ, families and early years settings in Wales have found the EYDP resources highly relevant and very helpful. Parents of one child told us-

“Our son attends mainstream nursery school and has been so lucky to be part of the Early Years Developemnt Programme…since attending nursery school he has come on leaps and bounds”

The child in our setting has some behaviour challenges. Does DSUK offer support and advice for this?

Whilst children with Down syndrome do have strengths in early social skills, there could also be some challenges. The EYDP includes an extensive library of recordings and accompanying resources to enable staff to support and reinforce positive behaviour, introduce visuals and teach new behaviours.

Can our setting pay by invoice rather than via the website booking page?

Yes, you can. To request an invoice, simply email education@downsyndromeuk.co.uk. We will invoice your setting and you can add colleagues to the portal as soon as the invoice is paid.

Should our setting sign up to the EYDP before a child joins us?

Early Years settings can sign up at any point in the year and will receive 12 months membership. Staff can access the online resources at any time to familiarise themselves with the programme and understand about the learning profile of children with Down syndrome before the child joins them. The programme also includes resources and guidance about successful transitions which will be invaluable as staff welcome a new pupil to their class.

Can school resources be shared with nursery before a child starts school?

We would always encourage communication between nursery and school as part of transition. Nursery and preschool settings should share information about what they have been working on with the child during the summer term to help the school prepare for the child’s arrival. Nurseries and parents can advise the school to sign up to PEP as soon as they can so that they are able to begin training and familiarise themselves with resources before the child starts Reception. Similarly, we would encourage nurseries to sign up to EYDP themselves for the year the child is with them prior to starting school.