Ceòlas are organising social meet-ups for both learners and fluent speakers of Gaelic, as part of their language classes (read more about learning Gaelic with Ceòlas and Cothrom here) and partnership project Càirdeas Coimhearsnachd, which is an inter-generational mentoring project aimed at increasing the use of Gaelic in the home and community. If you are a parent with young children and would like to partake in semi-structured and unstructured activities to improve the inter-generational transmission of Gaelic, please read more about the programme here.

From Ceòlas' Facebook:
​*GAELIC MEET-UP NEXT WEEK*

Ceòlas is organising a #Gaelic get-together next week - all welcome, native speakers, learners (Duolingo or Ceòlas classes or independent) and parents with young children interested in the Càirdeas Coimhearsnachd programme.

28 February, 12:30-2pm - Kilbride cafe
2 March, 12:30-2pm - Kildonan Cafe

Tea, coffee and scones provided.

ReStore are looking for donations of furniture paint (e.g. chalk paint). We'll gladly accept tins, no matter how much paint is left. If you're unable to drop it off in the shop, we're happy to pick it up when the van is out. Give us a call on 01878 700910.

The Best Start Grant is a package comprising of three payments intended to help families with costs in a child's early years. It is provided by Social Security Scotland and the payments can be applied for and accessed separately.

​The Pregnancy and Baby Payment is the first instalment of the Best Start Grant, and is a replacement of the Sure Start Maternity Grant. This payment consists of £600 for your first child, and £300 for other children - and is to help with expenses in pregnancy such as maternity clothes, a pram, or additional heating. 
The second instalment is the Early Learning Payment, aimed at children aged from two years to three years and six months. This £250 portion of the grant is intended to help with costs around the time the child starts nursery. 
The final part of the Best Start Grant is the School Age Payment, which will coincide with the time the child starts primary school. This £250 payment can help with costs of school uniforms, a school bag, books, or days out.

The Best Start Grant is aimed at low income families, and if you are in receipt of certain benefits you may be eligible. You can check your eligibility and apply on the MyGov.Scot website here.

Keeping safe online is as important for adults as it is for children and young people. But knowing what to trust and what to be cautious of isn't always easy. For Safer Internet Day 2020 we'd like to share some resources about keeping safe online that are suitable for all ages. 

Childnet International is a great resource for parents who are looking for advice on topics such as screen time, social media, and cyber bullying among many other topics. This website also has advice specific to certain age ranges. If you've got a child in primary school we recommend this interactive page about what to do in certain situations;

The UK Safer Internet Centre is another website offering advice about cyber security. We especially like their blog posts, here's a link to all posts with the tag "parents". 

Lastly, we'd like to recommend the Report Harmful Content website for if you or someone you care for has ever been in a situation where harmful content is present, this includes impersonation, threats, or other abuse and inappropriate content.