Mayor of London and childcare minister to invest £8m in expanding nurseries.

[FloraDora]

https://www.*****************/ChildCareClub/newsletter/January2014/story3.asp

Just received the latest newsletter from Mortonmichel : headlines : Mayor of London and childcare minister to invest £8m in expanding nursery places in London.....thought the London based childminders might be interested....feel a few emails and twitter exchanges may be my evening occupation.

[FloraDora]

Mayor of London and childcare minister to invest £8m in expanding nursery places in London
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London and Elizabeth Truss, Minister for Education and Childcare, have launched a new £8m fund to increase the supply of early education places in the capital.
The money will help expand the provision for two, three and four-year-olds and increase the number of nursery places for disadvantaged two-year-olds.
In return, the minister and the London Mayor wants school nurseries to offer full-time early education and childcare from 8am to 6pm rather than the current hours of 9am to 3pm that most provide.
Education and Childcare Minister, Elizabeth Truss, said: “We want to see more school nurseries open from 8-6, giving working parents greater flexibility and choice. We also want good private sector providers to expand, with councils offering match funded capital so they can take advantage of new planning freedoms.
“School nurseries already provide almost 50 per cent of the three and four-year-old places for London children but often sit empty for parts of the day when they could help. This new approach will help more schools, nurseries and childminders offer places at the times we know parents need them.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added: “High quality childcare is vital to our economy and this fund will be a boost for hardworking families in the capital. We want London parents to have access to affordable, flexible provision and this fund will also help ensure disadvantaged children get the best start in life.”
The fund will also match-fund private sector and voluntary providers enabling them to expand and take advantage of new planning freedoms.
The London Mayor and Education Minister hope that with more school nurseries expanding their nursery provision, it will make it easier for families to find flexible childcare which works for them, and make the best use of facilities locally.
They also want to see more childminders offering the free 15 hours for two, three and four- year olds - with or without additional hours paid for by parents.
Londoners pay some of the highest childcare prices in the country and parents in the capital are more likely to say they have encountered difficulties finding suitable childcare arrangements – leading to London having one of the lowest maternal employment rates across England.
One in five two-year-olds, expected to be eligible for Government funded places from September 2014, live in London.
Kathy Tracey, cabinet member for Education and Children's Services and councillor for Wandsworth Common said she was really encouraged by the announcement.
She added: “Wandsworth Council is keen to use this funding to encourage more schools to offer places for our youngest children. We want to take a more creative approach to how we deliver early education places in our area so we can deliver services that parents need at the times and in the places they want them.”
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children called high quality, affordable childcare “a crucial part of life for many families in modern Britain and essential in helping parents to work and care for their children – particularly in London. Although this announcement comes nowhere near the revolution we need to increase childcare places and reduce the cost for parents, it is welcome, as it begins to recognise that flexibility is one of the main things parents are looking for.
“All providers – whether private or voluntary sector – will have a vital role to play in working in partnerships with schools. This model is being explored by many schools across the capital, such as the Parbold Douglas Church of England Academy. This type of partnership working is a welcome step towards making Britain great for children and families.”
A number of school nurseries are already successfully delivering 8am - 6pm provision including Parbold Douglas C of E Academy, Wigan, which offers care for children from the age of two from 7.45am-6.00pm year round, led by two full time early years teachers.
Also Ark Alpha Nursery, Portsmouth, run by the Ark Ayrton Primary Academy. Ark Alpha offers child care for children aged three months to five years from 7.30pm – 6pm, Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year.
- See more at: https://www.*****************/ChildCareClub/newsletter/January2014/story3.asp#sthash.3wIbiQcL.dpuf

[Simona]

https://www.*****************/ChildCareClub/newsletter/January2014/story3.asp

Just received the latest newsletter from Mortonmichel : headlines : Mayor of London and childcare minister to invest £8m in expanding nursery places in London.....thought the London based childminders might be interested....feel a few emails and twitter exchanges may be my evening occupation.

In the February edition of EYE this further investment, announced in December, has received a 'cautious welcome' from NDNA CEO...while she welcomes the funding she stresses that it must cover the cost of delivering high quality for the 2,500 London based nurseries who has been calculated lose £1.74 per child per place
The funding is for expansion of 2 year old places so I would assume it includes CMs...while it is welcome there is no going back from the fact that we are still subsidising 'free childcare'.

Both NDNA and PLA CEO have reinforced in their comments in EYE that while they welcome the opportunity to care for more disadvantaged children the funding has to reflect costs
Neil Leitch states: 'We simply cannot continue to expect EY providers to deliver high quality childcare and early education at a loss'.
Wise words but they will be totally lost both on Johnson and Truss

While the school nurseries may be able to expand and open 8-6pm they will possibly deliver the free education...who will step in to provide the childcare outside of the 15 hrs?

[FloraDora]

In return, the minister and the London Mayor wants school nurseries to offer full-time early education and childcare from 8am to 6pm rather than the current hours of 9am to 3pm that most provide.

This was the sentence that jumped out - implying that the money was earmarked for schools don't you think??

[Simona]

In return, the minister and the London Mayor wants school nurseries to offer full-time early education and childcare from 8am to 6pm rather than the current hours of 9am to 3pm that most provide.

This was the sentence that jumped out - implying that the money was earmarked for schools don't you think??

Quite a lot of things jumped out of the Johnson/Truss rhetoric such as: hard working families ...flexibility for parents...high quality affordable childcare....providers working in partnership with schools...and last but not least Ark primary Academy...isn't that the school Baroness Morgan Ofsted chair is connected to? the one who wants 2 year olds in schools?