Teens and Toddlers

The Teens and Toddlers programme helps young people improve their wellbeing and school engagement in order to succeed at school and in life, through the experience of mentoring nursery children.

Who we work with Outcomes Further details

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Introduction

Teens and Toddlers is delivered one morning or afternoon for 16 weeks and encourages young people to:

Become a mentor and role model to a child in a nursery, supporting their learning and development.
Take part in reflective group learning sessions which include specialised coaching to boost their self-confidence and raise aspirations.
Achieve a national qualification in Interpersonal Skills (NCFE Level 1).

Who we work with

We work with young people at transition points in their lives and are at risk of not achieving their academic potential. They may need our support for a variety of reasons:

Poor wellbeing
Low self-esteem
Behavioural issues
High absence levels

Disengaged from school and learning
At risk of exclusion
Involved in risky behaviour (e.g. alcohol or substance misuse)

Their need may also be related to the following:

They are eligible for pupil premium (often an indicator of socio-economic disadvantage)
They have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
They are looked-after children (LAC)

The programme is underpinned by a deep understanding of many different teaching practices. The experiential curriculum has been developed with teachers, youth development experts and young people and is supported by a strong body of research.

Our outcomes speak for themselves

By the end of the programme...

	83%	of young people achieve their NCFE Level 1 Award in Interpersonal Skills.
	91%	of young people with low self-confidence improve.
	70%	of young people who had been displaying disruptive or aggressive behaviour improve.

	90%	of young people with poor communication improve.
	74%	of young people who had been at risk of exclusion are no longer at risk.

“I'd say I've changed since I started the programme because my patience levels have built massively… So I've been able to take that skill from there and use it in school. I've been able to be more patient with teachers, more patient with myself and more patient with things that I don't really get as easy as I should… I've learned how to communicate better with people that maybe I wouldn't always communicate with. I've learned how to listen a lot more.”

Courtney, 14, Teens and Toddlers graduate

Read more success stories

How does it work?

The programme is delivered over half a day each week for 16 weeks, and includes nursery placements, discussion sessions before and after spending time with the nursery children, group coaching and constructive feedback.

Nursery Sessions

We help schools select cohorts of 8 to 10 young people that need our support and place them in a partner nursery for one morning or afternoon each week. In the nursery they mentor a young child and help to support their language and communication development. By doing this they experience a positive relationship in which they are a role model. This boosts the young person’s self-esteem, develops their sense of responsibility and helps them improve their interpersonal skills.

Coaching Sessions

We don’t just throw our young people in at the deep end: nursery sessions are supported by group sessions led by our trained facilitators. These sessions cover key life skills such as teamwork, positive relationships and assessing risks.

Ongoing Feedback

Each week, our young people fill in a journal that supports their progress through the programme. Facilitators report back on this progress to school staff on their progress each week. These journals also encourage development of young people’s emotional intelligence, encouraging the young people to reflect on how they’re feeling.

We celebrate the achievements of our young people at a graduation ceremony, along with their families, teachers and peers. Those who complete the programme also receive an accredited NCFE Level 1 Interpersonal Skills qualification.

At the end of the programme, there are detailed debrief sessions for each young person with Power2 facilitators and school staff to discuss possible next steps, including joining our Young Leaders programme.

Find out what some of the teenagers and nurseries we've worked with think of 'Teens and Toddlers'...