Who can become a Parenting Tutor?

Early Years Practitioners including Early Years Professionals and Nursery Managers, Teachers, Librarians and Individuals who have the Signing with Babies and Young Children course EDEXCEL Award or similar qualification/experience.

This provides the skill foundation to run out the workshops.

Is there any other training?

Yes, there is an Induction Day with Signs for Success where you will receive your Sign-a-Story Parenting Tutor pack.

How much does the Tutor Pack cost?

The Sign-a-Story Parenting Tutor pack is £799 plus p & p.

In some boroughs, this has been funded through the Family Learning budget though other boroughs may consider using Children Centre funding.

It is also available to individuals, individual settings and organisations

Who pays for the workshops for parents?

The licence to run a 6-week course is usually funded through Family Learning, that is, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding that goes to the authority or provider of adult education in each borough.

Each authority will have its own arrangements for applying for Family Learning usually through a partnership bidding process. Family Learning provision can run in private settings, libraries, schools, Children Centres or other community venues.

Could we set up workshops ourselves?

Yes! Organisations, settings and individuals who wish to run the workshops should speak to Signs for Success.

Could this be a staff training programme?

A resounding Yes!

Have you a model of how it might be run out?

Here are four examples:

• The head of Family Learning uses mainstream Family Learning funding to support settings who nominate a member of staff to become a Parenting Tutor. This Parenting Tutor receives an Induction Day’s Training and the Tutor Pack pack to run the programme at a time convenient to the setting and parents. Settings receive cover time for the Parenting Tutor.


• The Head of Family Learning, sometimes together with the Head of Early Years, uses mainstream Family Learning funding to run the programme in their borough using Early Years Professionals and Early Years practitioners as Parenting Tutors. Signs for Success carries out assessment and evaluation for the borough and LSC.


• A library sends a member of staff on an Induction Day and purchases a Tutor pack and licence. The workshops are then run from the library itself. Sometimes this is in conjunction with L.A. Family Learning and LSC funding and a trained Early Years Practitioner instead of a library staff member.


• An individual setting purchases a “Sign-a-Story” pack and licence to run the programme from their setting as many times as they like. They send a nominated staff member on the Induction Day training.

I need more information

Please contact Signs for Success who will arrange a programme to suit your specific requirements.