This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
On July 14, 2020, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, publicly backed the launch of the 'Tiny Happy People' programme by the BBC, offering new parents a range of free online tools to support the development of under-fives' language and communication skills.
The programme, which includes activities, videos, articles, and quizzes, was launched to address the significant gap in support for parents after the first few months of a child's life.
According to the Department for Education, in England, one in four children starting primary school are behind with their language learning, rising to 42% in some areas.
The Duchess, mother to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, has been secretly involved in the initiative since last year, visiting Broadcasting House in November 2019 to work on some of the video resources and social media content during a creative workshop.
She met with three families who have been involved in the creation and piloting of the digital resource, which features free activity and play ideas for 0-4-year-olds.
The Duchess held a socially distanced chat in a garden with Ryan and his eight-month-old daughter Mia, Henrietta, Abu, and their 11-month-old daughter Amirah, and Kerry, Darren, and their two-year-old son Dexter to see how they have used the resources.
She said, 'In the first few months there's a huge amount of support from midwives and health visitors and things, but from then onwards there's a massive gap before they then start school.'
She added, 'Hearing some of the parents today, Ryan at the beginning saying how his baby has five different cries, he's learnt a huge amount from Tiny Happy People and it's information like that I wish I had had as a first-time mum.'
The BBC said the Duchess helped with the character and background development for the two animations.
The online platform offers a range of free films, articles, quizzes, and parenting tips that have been specially designed with experts to help to nurture children's language right from pregnancy.
It also includes advice on staying at home during the pandemic, such as how to create a calmer bedtime routine and how to soothe youngsters' anxiety as lockdown restrictions lift.
Kensington Palace said the Cambridges' Royal Foundation will collaborate with the BBC on the long-term roll-out of the initiative.
