Services
We work in partnership with other agencies and charities. We provide drop-ins, parenting support groups and one to one help, support and advice to the under fives and those that care for them.
We have three Children's Centre 'hubs'; next to Bloxham Primary School, Eynsham Community Primary School and Bampton Primary School.We also use a variety of venues across our catchment areas including village halls and playbuses, so we can bring services into the heart of village communities.
At our weekly drop-ins, young children enjoy games and toys, arts and crafts and messy play. At the same time parents and carers can find support and advice on a range of topics from child health to returning to work.
About us
The Oxfordshire Rural Children’s Centre Project manages Butterfly Meadows, The Orchard and Willow Tree Children's Centres, in addition to offering support and expertise to fellow Children's Centres in Oxfordshire that have rural areas as part of their areas. We recognise that raising young children in a rural area can sometimes be challenging, with often fewer things to do with young children and less support.
One of our latest projects has been to develop a mobile Children's Centre service, in partnership with the Library Service. This offers young children and their families in rural areas the opportunity to borrow books, participate in rhyme and story time sessions, and find a wide range of information including family health, job searching and childcare. To find out more about this innovative and free service, please contact the 'Children's Centre Mobile' manager Catherine Gregg on 01865 810261 or 07584 217346.
Specialised groups
We also run more specialised groups e.g. for young parents, or to target particular needs e.g. healthy eating, parenting support. A Health Visitor also supports work in the following key areas: smoking cessation; maternal mental health/well being; breastfeeding; teenage pregnancy and sexual health; obesity (healthy eating and exercise) and oral health.
We welcome the active involvement of parents and carers in the planning, delivery and evaluation of services - through parent forums, steering groups and other volunteering opportunities.
Community networking
Our children’s centre staff are keen to support local community run groups such as parent toddler groups or community coffee mornings. Please contact your local children’s centre coordinator to discuss how we can work together.
Outreach
We recognise that there may be occasions when families would benefit from one to one support at home. Our workers can visit at home to provide a low key, friendly introduction to our services and accompanied visits to drop-ins and groups. The aim is to encourage and support parents to use the services on offer. We may be able to offer more intensive support if that is appropriate.
If you know of a family with children under five who live in one of our catchment areas and who would benefit from outreach support you need to fill in a 'request for support form' with the family. Contact the team for further details.
This page was last updated on August 5, 2011
