About Talk, Listen, Cuddle

I have the privilege of managing the Talk, Listen, Cuddle Campaign and working with the inspiring group of professionals who share their expertise with you!

I have worked in Early Years for over 25 years and feel very lucky to say that I love my job, I could talk all day about early language and communication.  I am the Early Language and Communication Strategy Officer for Essex and I work in the SEND Strategy Team.

I am very passionate about supporting all children to reach their full potential. Although I have lots of interests around language and communication and Early Years education, my particular interest is how adults can support children’s learning and language through play.  

I have worked in the Early Years sector for over 35 years and for the past 15 years as part of the Essex Early Years Team, leading on Equality and helping to ensure that Early Years services are fully inclusive to all young children and their families. I also work on the Talk, Listen, Cuddle campaign – I really do love my job!

I am passionate about promoting the rights of young children, including their right to the best experiences from birth to 5. Every single child deserves the best possible start to their learning and research tells us that parents and carers can make the biggest difference. Therefore, sharing this information with you is important to us all.

Being a mummy to a little boy, I love working on the Talk, Listen, Cuddle campaign and bringing new ideas through the eyes of a parent (as well as following the tips and advice myself!). This has been a huge learning curve for me and inspired a passion for all things Early Years. I am proud to have led the project for this website redesign, as well as driving and developing Talk, Listen, Cuddle’s social media presence.

I also would like to mention the amazing team I work with who are all so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do – Talk, Listen, Cuddle would not be the same without them!

I work with Early Years settings and schools to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). My previous roles include working as a Preschool Specialist Teacher at Essex County Council and a Primary School Teacher within Essex. I am passionate about developing children’s communication and literacy through play, nursery rhymes and stories.

I have 25 years of teaching and Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) experience. In this role I support children and young people from 0-25 in schools and preschool settings with Special educational needs and disabilities.

I have a passion for supporting children and young people with Speech and Language difficulties and this has led to my involvement with Talk, Listen, Cuddle. I really love that the campaign focuses on promoting good early communication as this is a vital foundation for language development and all learning. Talk, Listen, Cuddle is so accessible and easy to use in our everyday, busy lives.

I have 20 years’ experience of working in Special Educational Needs and Education.  I have worked in various settings including mainstream and specialist settings, working with children and young people between the ages 4-16. I studied Speech Science at university so was excited to get involved with Talk, Listen, Cuddle with my passion for speech, language and communication development in little ones.

As a mother of two, I love being able to contribute to Talk, Listen, Cuddle with my mummy hat on as well as my professional one! It’s a privilege being a part of this amazing team.

My role focuses on supporting children aged 0-5 and the settings they attend, from Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) settings, pre-schools, childminders, afterschool clubs and schools.

The Talk, Listen, Cuddle campaign is often somewhere that I signpost my settings to access a wealth of resources/tools. Being one of the newest members to the campaign, it is wonderful to see the passion of other members of the team and how this campaign truly supports early communication skills for our children.

Being a mummy myself, I am so enthusiastic to be a part of something that is so easy to use within our busy daily lives!

I have enjoyed working in Early Years in Essex for many years now. In my current role I support Early Years settings and schools around all aspects of providing quality care and education for children from birth to five. Prior to this I taught in primary schools and was also a children’s centre teacher.

My particular interest is around early literacy and seeing children, families and settings get excited about sharing books and telling stories together – and all the amazing benefits this brings to children’s development and well-being.

It is great to be involved in Talk, Listen, Cuddle as there is so much helpful information easily available and, of course, the lovely resources which can be ordered for free!

My role involves supporting and advising Early Years settings, nursery schools and Childminders. I have worked within the Early Years sector in different roles with 28 years’ experience, including being a director of my own Early Years setting. I am passionate about Early Years Education, ensuring all children get the best start in life so they can reach their full potential.

I am proud to be part of the Talk, Listen, Cuddle campaign as speech, language and communication is the foundation to building the skills children need to support their overall learning and development. The Talk, Listen, Cuddle characters put a smile on my face and I love how useful the resources, website and social media content are for children and families in Essex.

I work within Essex County Council’s education team and have over 30 years’ experience working in the Early Years sector. I am a grandmother to two children under 5 and I am passionate about the importance of play based early education for all children, with a special interest in children under three.

I’m passionate about two main things: early years development and sustainability. I’m dedicated to helping young children find their voice and to support them to develop the skills they’ll need to become future stewards of our planet.

I love being part of the Talk, Listen, Cuddle campaign and chatting about how awesome it is to be outdoors, connecting with nature, and sometimes using our ‘outdoor voices’—just as long as we don’t scare away our outdoor friends, like birds or bugs!