We have been discussing this topic in another post for a while
Today Pacey posted this on Local...are you able to draw the funding, is your LA engaging with you or are you still experiencing barriers?
Do share your experience and, if possible, post your reply on Local as well
''The Government's flagship scheme to provide free childcare places for two year olds is facing a huge shortfall of places after local authorities in many areas have not managed to get enough childcare businesses engaged with the scheme, it was reported today.
Councils in South East England, Birmingham and Manchester are particularly struggling to find nurseries and childminders willing to accept children under the scheme, which offers 15 hours a week free childcare for two-year-olds from disadvantaged families.
James Hempsall, who is overseeing the delivery of the Achieving Two-Year-Olds programme, shrugged off concerns, saying local authorities, who now have a duty to ensure sufficient places, were reporting a "high level of confidence for delivery in September 2013". He said work was focusing on vacant places and creating more flexibility, such as asking nurseries to provide a third session on top of the traditional morning and afternoon sessions.
The BBC article, and many others in the press this week, have focused solely on nursery places, but it is clear that childminders may be better placed to offer the flexibility that the scheme requires to succeed, by taking on a two-year-old under the scheme to fill an existing vacancy in their setting. However, childminders have cited some potential barriers to participation, such as:
◦a rate of remuneration set by their local authority which falls below the rate they would normally charge
◦not enough information from their local authority about how to get involved
◦not having the time to complete the application process to become a provider
◦concerns about whether they may be able to offer suitable care in their setting for children who may have multiple and complex needs
Local authorities are being encouraged to actively engage with childminders to promote the scheme and to enrol them as providers.
There are only four months until the scheme is rolled out in September, so if you are interested in becoming a provider, now is the time to act.
You can find more information about the Achieving Two-Year-Olds programme, and how to become a provider, on the Foundation Years website and also download a leaflet with details of the scheme. To get involved, speak to your local authority's early years or childcare team to get details about the local hourly rates offered and what you need to do to become a provider (usually filling out a simple form about your childcare experience).
Are you a childminder who has successfully applied to become a provider under the scheme? What was your experience, from finding out about the scheme to being accepted as a provider, and what advice would you give to others who were considering participating?'' (end)
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