 Apple Tree Day Nursery are proud to present their state of the art sensory room. Opened in late 2023, they built a brand new room that will enhance the experience they give to their children.
 A sensory room is a specially designed room that has a range of stimuli to help develop and engage senses, which is essential in Early Years.
 The space is a proven benefit for children with Special Educational Needs, for any child who is feeling overwhelmed and needs to de-stress, for babies to develop… plus it helps little ones to grow, explore and have fun.
 Take a look at the leaflet at the button below to view the 15 recommended reads. We would encourage you to use these with your pre-school children this term. If you would like any further information on the read with me project, please email Ella.Harbut@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. EMAS have some of the books available to borrow from their library - see titles and languages at the button below. If you would like to borrow these books, please email Ruth.Nabholz-Duncan@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
 Portsmouth Armed Forces Day returns to Southsea Common on Saturday 8 June, and this year's event is bigger than ever!
Portsmouth City Council is putting on a free, action-packed day from 10am - 4pm, and this year the Red Arrows are performing a full display as part of the huge event.
There's also a Royal Navy parachute jump, parades, music, military vehicles and lots of activities for all ages, including a climbing wall, laser tag, obstacle course, and much more, all without charge. There's a paid bar and funfair, as well as stalls, food and refreshments.
This special Armed Forces Day is being held at the end of a week of commemorations for D-Day 80, which includes the national, ticketed event on 5 June being broadcast live on the BBC. Armed Forces Day on Saturday 8 June is being held as a free event so people can come and celebrate and honour our armed forces community together.
 The Early Years Inclusion Team hosted an awards ceremony last week to celebrate Early Years practitioners who have successfully gained their level 2 SEND practitioner and Level 3 early years SENCo accreditation.
 Sue Bowler and Ella Harbut deliver the nationally accredited training for staff in Portsmouth early years settings and participants take part in a series of whole day training sessions, completing assignments and visiting other settings across the city. The participants gave presentations sharing their thoughts and reflections about being on the course, sharing what they had learnt and the impact it had on their own practice and professional development, as well as the impact on their settings inclusive provision. It was very moving as staff spoke about their own journeys and it was clear how dedicated and passionate the practitioners are in promoting and developing inclusive practice and supporting children with SEND and their families.
 We're pleased to announce the launch of the new Household Support Fund Exceptional Hardship Scheme. The scheme is for households who are struggling financially and are unable to afford essential daily living costs or an essential household purchase, due to an unmanageable drop in income or increase in household costs.
To submit an application, please click here or search for 'Household Support Fund' on the Portsmouth City Council website. It is recommended that applications are made online, however for those who are unable to do so, they can make an application by ringing the dedicated HSF helpline on 023 9268 8010.
Residents can make applications during three 'windows', with this first one closing on Friday 7 June, and the second due to open on Thursday 20 June. In between windows, residents can register their interest to be notified when the scheme re-opens at Household support fund - Portsmouth City Council.
Certain agencies that work closely with residents around their household circumstances and finances, have been registered as approved partner agencies. These agencies can apply on behalf of the customers they are supporting, based on their knowledge of the household's circumstances. This saves customers having to tell their story twice and reduces duplication where an agency already has a good understanding of the need. If your service is an approved partner agency, your manager will receive guidance for your team, including the Agency Verification Code that your team will need in order to submit applications.
Each application will be assessed by one of our HSF Local Welfare Assistance Officers within 28 days of submission, and award amounts will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
A policy, FAQ, and eligibility checker for the scheme has been created - please see these at the buttons at the bottom of this article. Details of eligibility criteria, household income thresholds and how to apply are detailed within these.
Please continue to use the existing Household Support Fund leaflet (at the button below), which can be shared electronically, but if you need any hard copies, please contact the team to let them know how many you need, and where they will be used.
If you have any questions about the scheme, please contact the team on hsfhardship@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
This is the first of three application-based schemes that we will be launching over the coming months. Residents can register their interest in the upcoming schemes here.
Advice for all residents on the cost of living is regularly updated here.
 With half term coming up don't forget to encourage parents to download our fantastic free 50 things to do before you're five app. It's packed full of free activities which support learning. 50 things will help to develop and expand vocabulary, give families a focus for learning and playing together and make taking part in activities around the city fun! Why not try #9 mini beasts and bug hunting, #49 grass gazing and #50 sea and sand!
 We're delighted to let you know about a very exciting and fully funded opportunity for your nursery!
We all know that the emotional and mental health of our community has been hugely impacted by the pandemic, and continues to be impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. Children, staff and parents have all had a tough few years, and so it's critical that we're investing in mental and emotional health for our entire nursery community.
We also know that there are increasing cost pressures on your nursery, and that's why we're delighted to have secured funding to enable your nursery to implement myHappymind for free.
myHappymind is an NHS backed and award winning preventative mental health and wellbeing programme for Nurseries and Primary schools, and is already successfully operating in many Nurseries and Schools across Portsmouth - see the bottom of this article for more information on the impact it is having.
Unlike other wellbeing programmes, it is a complete system for your nursery with a fully prepared programme for all children, a CPD-certified wellbeing programme for staff, and a Parent App.
The lessons are all pre-prepared so there is very little teacher prep and all resources are provided for you. You can learn more about the programme by watching this short video tour.
How do I express my interest?
Funding is limited so we encourage you to express your interest by filling in this short form by 14 June. Funding is available on a first come first served basis.
What happens next?
After you have completed the expression of interest form, a member of the myHappymind team will be in touch to arrange a 1:1 to have a bespoke session to look at how myHappymind can work for your nursery. If you would like to book a quick call with a member of the team first, please use one of the below links to find a slot that works for you or contact Tom on tom.black@myhappymind.org.
To meet with Tom at myHappymind click here.
To meet with Nat at myHappymind click here.
Feedback from Portsmouth Nurseries:
100% of nurseries said that myHappymind has helped their children to understand their brains.
100% of nurseries said that they have seen the self-esteem and confidence of their children increase since using myhappymind.
"We have one little boy who struggles. It's been helping him to understand how his brain works and his behaviour. If he's feeling angry, he knows what we can do to help. He's quite an angry boy, but he can now breathe and have time to think."
"We have been using Happy Breathing regularly with the children to regulate their emotions and to calm them down. They really love Berty and Betty and will often refer to them when doing something that they struggle with."
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