Children's centres
Ockendon Children's Centre
Address
2a Afton Drive,
South Ockendon,
RM15 5PA
Timetable from December 2018 – the centre is open Monday to Friday, from 8:30am to 5pm.
Mondays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9am to 5pm | Midwife appointments | Pre-natal checks, advice and support for you and your baby. Book in advance. |
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Fun, food and fitness | From 17 December. For ages 18 months to 60 months. Fun, physical activities and ideas to keep your child healthy and fit. An opportunity for your child to try different types of food each week and for parents to receive advice on healthy eating including fussy eating and portion sizes. Book in advance. |
| 11am to midday | Bookstart corner | From 10 December. For ages 18 months to 60 months. A Booktrust programme to support families to develop a love of stories, books and rhymes to help their children's early reading skills. Book in advance. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | St Mungo's floating support service | St Mungo's helps people recover from the issues that create homelessness, such as rent arrears, debt and benefits, and support families with employment and education. All welcome. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Stay and play – messy play | No session on 24 December. For ages 0 to 12 months. Fun activities for you and your baby. The sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development. Please wear old clothes! All welcome. |
| 2pm to 3:30pm | Child health clinic, baby weighing | No session on 24 December. For ages 0 to 60 months. All welcome |
Tuesdays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9am to 11am | Blood testing | At Ockendon Health Centre, Darenth Lane, South Ockendon, RM15 5LP. All welcome |
| 9am to 1pm | Health visitor ante-natal appointments | By referral only. |
| 9am to 5pm | Midwife appointments | Pre-natal checks, advice and support for you and your baby. Book in advance. |
| 9:30am to 10:30am | Stay and play | 4, 11, 18 December. For ages 12 months to 24 months. Fun activities for you and your child. The sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development. The session also shares ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
| 9:30am to 1pm | 1 year-olds development assessment checks | Health and development assessment to check your child's weight, height, learning, diet and behaviour. By referral only. |
| 10:45am to 11:45am | Stay and play | 4, 11, 18 December. For ages 24 months to 60 months. Fun activities for you and your child. The sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development. The session also shares ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
| 12:30pm to 5pm | 2 year-olds development assessment checks | Health and development assessment to check your child's weight, height, learning, diet and behaviour. By referral only. |
| 1:15pm to 2:15pm | Let's talk with your baby | From 4 December. For ages 0 to 12 months. A programme to promote positive adult-child interaction and communication skills, attachment, stimulation in a rich environment through interactive, fun activities. Book in advance. |
Wednesdays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9am to 11am | Parents First support | Peer support during midwife appointments. Book in advance. |
| 9am to 1pm | Midwife appointments | Pre-natal checks, advice and support for you and your baby. Book in advance. |
| 9am to 3pm | Health visitor ante-natal appointments | By referral only. |
| 9:30am to 11:15am | Child health clinic, baby weighing | At Ockendon Health Centre, Darenth Lane, South Ockendon, RM15 5LP. For ages 0 to 60 months. All welcome. |
| 11am to midday | Child minder-led session | 5, 12, 19 December. For ages 0 to 11 years. Sessions led by child minders to support the learning and development of children who are in the care of a child minder. |
Thursdays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9am to 11:30am | Glucose tolerance test (GTT) and antenatal bloods | For ages 24 months to 60 months. Book in advance. |
| 9am to midday | National careers service | Book in advance. |
| 9:15am to 10:45am | Chatterbox | For ages 18 months to 60 months. A structured language group running for six to eight weeks providing support, advice and guidance to help your child develop their communications skills. By referral only. |
| 11am to midday | Pyramid parenting | A 6-week parenting course for parents and carers who have children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. The course raises parents' awareness of their role in promoting a positive self-image and resilience in their children. It also provides parents with knowledge, skills and positive experiences that can be used to enhance their relationship with their children. Book in advance. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Stay and play | For ages 0 to 12 months. Fun activities for you and your baby. The sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your baby's development. The session also shares ideas to support your child's learning at home. All welcome. |
| 1pm to 4pm | Teenage midwife appointments | Fortnightly. Book in advance. |
| 1pm to 4pm | Infant feeding drop-in | For ages 0 to 12 months. All welcome. |
| 1pm to 5pm | New born screening | A weight and blood spot (heel prick) test of your newborn baby. The hospital will give you an appointment. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Patch parenting | From 6 December. A 6-week parenting course that provides support with everyday challenges of parenting young children. Sessions cover topics such as being a parent, play, temper tantrums, praise and other areas of concern. For parents and carers who have children between ages 18 months and 60 months. Book in advance. |
Fridays
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9am to midday | Benefits advice service | For council tenants only. Book in advance. |
| 9am to 1pm | Midwife appointments | Pre-natal checks, advice and support for you and your baby. Book in advance. |
| 9:30am to 11:30am | Empowering parents, empowering communities | For ages 2 years to 11 years. Call 01375 858 243 to book in advance. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Stay and play – story sack fun | For ages 24 months to 60 months. Fun activities for you and your baby. The sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development. All welcome. |
| 1:30pm to 2:30pm | Baby massage | For ages 0 to 12 months. Baby massage offers a wonderful opportunity for you to bond and learn how to communicate with your baby through nurturing touch and massage in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Book in advance. £12 for 6 sessions. |
| 2:30pm to 3:30pm | Stay and play – messy play | 7, 14 December. For ages 24 months to 60 months. Fun activities for you and your baby. The sessions promote social skills and stimulation to support your child's development. Please wear old clothes! All welcome. |
| 2:30pm to 3:30pm | Bookstart Christmas event | 31 December. For ages 0 to 60 months. All welcome. |
| 3:15pm to 4:15pm | English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) conversation club | A club for parents and carers to develop their speaking and listening skills in English with friends. Book in advance. |
Other activities
A wide range of activities are organised at children's centres across Thurrock, either regularly or from time to time. You can find out more about these activities in the document below. Check the monthly timetables of individual children's centres for latest details.