Children's centres
Stifford Family Hub
Address
Belmont Castle Academy,
Parker Road,
Grays,
RM17 5YN
You can visit Brighter Futures Stifford Family Hub when open for activities or phone at the following times:
- Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 5pm
- Fridays from 8:30am to 4:30pm
Mondays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30am to midday | Housing advice for council tenants | Book in advance. |
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Start for life – Stay and play | For ages 12 months to 24 months. Fun activities for you and your child. Sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development, encouraging speech and language, sharing and turn-taking, and exploring new and exciting activities. Sessions also offer ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
| 11am to midday | Sensory play | All welcome. 1 July – for ages 0 to 12 months. 8 July – for ages 12 months to 24 months. 15 July – for ages 24 months to 60 months. 22 July – for ages 0 to 12 months. 29 July – for ages 0 to 12 months. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Activity sessions | For ages 12 months to 60 months. All welcome. 1 July – Fun with sticking. 8 July – Fun with mark-making. 15 July – Fun with water. 22 July – Fun with sand. 29 July – Fun with colours. |
Tuesdays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Infant feeding | For parents and carers. Support sessions for you to discuss any matters relating to feeding your baby – for example, breastfeeding, formula feeding and introducing solid foods. |
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Start for life – Messy play | For ages 12 months to 60 months. Messy activities for you and your child. Sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development, encouraging speech and language, sharing and turn-taking, and exploring new and exciting activities. Sessions also offer ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Start for life – Let's talk with your baby | For ages 0 to 12 months. This 4-week course promotes attachment and communication skills through interactive, fun and exciting activities with your baby each week. Book in advance. |
| 10am to midday | Healthwatch Thurrock | 2 July. Health and social care feedback and information sessions for families. Healthwatch Thurrock is an independent organisation that can help with finding information about health and social care services. It focuses on improving services based on people's views and experiences. They can also help with making a complaint or raising a concern about an NHS service or worker. Drop-in session. |
| 11am to midday | Antenatal sessions | No session 2 July. For parents and carers. Book in advance. |
| 11am to midday | Baby rhyme time | For ages 0 to 12 months. All welcome. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Start for life – Stay and play | For ages 0 to 12 months. Fun activities for you and your child. Sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development, encouraging speech and language, sharing and turn-taking, and exploring new and exciting activities. Sessions also offer ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Garden group | Fun activities in the garden for families with children. Please wear appropriate clothing. All welcome. 2 July – for ages 24 months to 60 months. 9 July – for ages 12 months to 24 months. 16 July – for ages 24 months to 60 months. 23 July – for ages 12 months to 24 months. 30 July – for ages 24 months to 60 months. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | The Walkie Talkies | 9 July. Walk and talk sessions led by Parents 1st. For anyone who is a new parent or currently pregnant, offering a chance for some outside exercise and to get to know new parents in your area. Book in advance by phoning 01268 525 758. |
Wednesdays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9am to midday | Local Area Coordinator (LAC) | Local Area Coordinators help people find ways to make a better life. Based in towns and villages around Thurrock, they know the local people – those who need help, and those who can offer different types of help. Book in advance. |
| 9am to 4pm | Open Road addiction service | All welcome. |
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Fun with small world play | For ages 24 months to 60 months. All welcome. |
| 11am to midday | Start for life – Stay and play: just for dads | No session 17 July. For ages 12 months to 60 months. Fun activities for you and your child. Sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development, encouraging speech and language, sharing and turn-taking, and exploring new and exciting activities. Sessions also offer ideas to support your child's learning at home. All dads welcome. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Start for life – Stay and play | No session 17 July. For ages 24 months to 60 months. Fun activities for you and your child. Sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development, encouraging speech and language, sharing and turn-taking, and exploring new and exciting activities. Sessions also offer ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
| 7:30pm to 8:30pm | Parent and carer panel – online | 17 July. Sessions aim to improve services available by listening and giving opportunity for the voices of the community to be heard, whist encouraging networking and interpersonal interaction between professionals and community members. By referral only. |
Thursdays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Start for life – Bookstart toddler | 4 July. For ages 12 months to 30 months. Introducing families and children to the love of books, because words and stories help children understand the world, helping to set them up for life. Book in advance. |
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Bring a story to life | For ages 12 months to 60 months. Sessions focus on a chosen theme or storybook to help create and build learning around imaginary play. All welcome. 11 July – 'Goldie Locks and the Three Bears'. 18 July – 'Itchy Bear'. 25 July – 'We're going on a Bear Hunt'. |
| 10am to 12:30pm | Job club | Support for families from an employment adviser. For parents and carers. Book in advance by phoning 07776 245 301. |
| 10:30am to 11:30am | Let's talk potty training | 11 July. For ages 24 months to 60 months. An interactive session to help families gain knowledge and understanding about potty training. Book in advance. |
| 11am to midday | Start for life – Stay and play: just for dads | For ages 0 to 12 months. Fun activities for you and your child. Sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development, encouraging speech and language, sharing and turn-taking, and exploring new and exciting activities. Sessions also offer ideas to support your child's learning at home. All dads welcome. |
| 11am to 1pm | B3 – Birth, Bumps and Belonging | Second Thursday of the month. A safe place for parents and carers with a child under 2 years, and for parents to be, of Afro-Caribbean heritage. All welcome. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Parent and carer panel – in person | First Thursday of the month. Sessions aim to improve services available by listening and giving opportunity for the voices of the community to be heard, whist encouraging networking and interpersonal interaction between professionals and community members. By referral only. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Start for life – Sensory Play | For ages 12 months to 60 months. Fun activities for you and your child while using all the senses to explore. All welcome. |
| 3:15pm to 4:15pm | Start for life – Stay and play | For ages 12 months to 60 months. Fun activities for you and your child. Sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development, encouraging speech and language, sharing and turn-taking, and exploring new and exciting activities. Sessions also offer ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
Fridays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Start for life – Baby massage | For ages 0 to 12 months. This 5-week course offers a wonderful opportunity for you to bond and learn how to communicate with your baby through gentle strokes using your hands. Each week we will focus on a different part of your baby's body. Book in advance. |
| 10am to 11:30am | Baby weighing clinic | Drop-in session for ages 0 to 5 years. All welcome. |
| 11am to midday | Start for life – Let's talk with your toddler | For ages 12 months to 24 months. This 4-week course promotes speech and language development with your child. Each week we will introduce new ideas to practice at home. Book in advance. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Chatterbox | For ages 24 months to 60 months. A structured language group providing support, advice and guidance to help your child develop their communications skills. By referral only. |
| 1:30pm to 4:30pm | Early interaction advice sessions | For ages 24 months to 60 months. Individual sessions working with parents to develop early communication and interaction skills. By referral only. |
More activities and support
A wide range of activities are organised at other family hubs across Thurrock. You can find out more about these activities in the document below. Check the timetables of individual family hubs for latest details.
For information on local support services during pregnancy and for families with a baby up to 2 years-old, go to Start for Life.
Registration
You can use the registration form below to register yourself and your child at this family hub, or any of our other family hubs.