Charities share 1.2m for early intervention projects

They are the first beneficiaries of the programme run by venture philanthropists the Impetus Trust and the education charity The Sutton Trust.

The initiative aims to improve the life chances of young children from disadvantaged families by investing in projects that will help close the gap between school readiness of children from poorer backgrounds and their peers.

I CAN, Ripplez and Family Links have been chosen for their proven work with children under five and low-income families.

Each organisation will receive £400,000 in funding, as well as tailored support from the Impetus investment team and network of advisers.

Impetus chief executive Impetus chief executive Daniela Barone Soares said, ‘It’s unacceptable that children’s futures in the UK are still so influenced by their economic background at birth.
‘At Impetus we are proud to focus our expertise at scaling up proven charities and social enterprises on one of the most vulnerable segments of society – young children and their families – and are excited at the prospect of helping to put an end to the current inequalities they face.

'I can hardly think of a more deserving group, and one with greater potential to make a difference in the future of this country.’

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of The Sutton Trust said, ‘Our joint initiative with Impetus gives us the opportunity to provide the wide-ranging support that charities need to develop new ideas, become self-sustaining and scale up their activities.
‘The mix of skills and expertise that the Sutton Trust and Impetus bring to the initiative will be crucial to its success - and is why we have such high hopes for the futures of the organisations we are supporting.’

Chief executive of I CAN Virginia Beardshaw said, 'Vocabulary at the age  of five has been found to be the best predictor of whether children who experienced social deprivation in childhood were able to "buck the trend" and escape poverty in later adult life.’

She added, ‘But children whose language difficulties are unresolved by the time they start school are more likely to have later academic problems. Some become isolated and frustrated, leading to poor behaviour and an "opting out" from school and community. 60-90% of young offenders have communication difficulties.

The good news is that if identified and tackled early, many children with language delay can catch up with their peers. 

I CAN is delighted to be working with Impetus and Sutton Trust, who will help us to reach many more parents and professionals through our Early Talk programme in order to develop children’s communication skills and find and support those who are struggling.’

The charities funded through the Impetus-Sutton Early Years Initiative and the work they do

Ripplez
The charity offers an intensive and structured home-visiting programme for first-time teenage mothers, which has been proven to improve their children’s long-term health and help support them to be ready for when they start school.

Family Links
The organisation supports family well-being through its nurturing programme, which helps to support parent-child relationships and emotional wellbeing.

I CAN
The communication charity’s early talk programme provides effective early intervention for children with speech and language difficulties.