smalltalk is a set of evidence-based strategies that parents can use to enhance the home learning environment for their children from birth up to school age.

smalltalk has five key elements. It aims to increase:

Quality and frequency of parents’ interactions with their children

Level of stimulation in the home environment

Parental self-care (stress management and seeking support)

Parenting confidence

Parents’ connection to their community and local services.

smalltalk aims to increase parents’ confidence to do the things we know can have a positive impact on their child’s learning. It is about using everyday opportunities and the activities that many parents already do in the home to enhance their children’s learning and development. These include the way they talk, listen and play with their children, read together and how they engage them in interesting and stimulating activities.

The Parenting Research Centre delivers smalltalk through a facilitator training model, providing coaching and support to educators in your service to deliver the smalltalk program to parents and children.

The smalltalk program is delivered by your service’s trained educator to a group setting through conversation, practical modelling, and shared practice. During a regular playgroup session, the educator introduces evidence-based parenting strategies in a relaxed, one-to-one or two-to-one conversation. Instead of formal teaching, the educator uses a natural, chat-based approach that recognises each parent as the expert on their child and builds on what they already do well. The educator then supports the parent to try the strategy with their child during the session and set a simple goal to practise it during the week. At the next session, the educator checks in, celebrates what worked, helps problem-solve any challenges, and introduces the next topic. This supportive cycle continues each week across the 10-topic curriculum.

$13,450, plus travel charged at cost to the program purchaser.