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BBC News - Childcare shortage warning as childminders quit
Vanessa Clarke, Education Reporter & Daniel Wainwright |
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A drastic decline in childminders could lead to a shortage of places, early years providers are warning. There were 9,800 fewer childcare workers in 2022 than in 2019, with childminders down by a fifth. Some have told the BBC they are being forced to leave because of a lack of pay and appreciation. |
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The Independent - How are parents funding extra childcare costs over the summer?
Vicky Shaw |
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One in three families will need to pay for additional childcare during the summer holidays, new research from Go.Compare reveals. |
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Children and Young People Now - Charity partnership expands to fund more childcare hours for disadvantaged children
Fiona Simpson |
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London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) has expanded a charity partnership to fund additional childcare hours for disadvantaged children across the capital. Food charity City Harvest currently provides 39 nurseries run by social enterprise group LEYF with surplus donated food as part of LEYF’s Doubling Down programme.
Donations made by City Harvest since November 2022 have been used to provide children with 60,000 healthy meals, saving LEYF nearly £5,000 over the first three months of the programme, the early years provider says. The money saved has been used to fund 15 additional nursery hours for disadvantaged children who do not qualify for the government’s 30-hour scheme because their parents are either unemployed or on low incomes.
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BBC News - Parents 'desperate' as summer care hits £943 a child
Vishala Sri-Pathma & Jemma Dempsey |
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The cost of childcare through the school summer holidays is now £943 per child on average, a survey suggests.
Working parents also face a huge disparity in price depending on where they live in Britain, according to the charity Coram Family and Childcare. |
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The Early Years Educator - Children born during pandemic have gaps in communication skills, study finds
Kathy Oxtoby |
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A study which looked at developmental milestones of “pandemic babies” at two years, has found gaps in their communication skills, and that they could benefit from additional support. |
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Nursery World - DfE parent survey highlights lack of flexible and affordable early years provision
Katy Morton
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New findings from a DfE survey reveals parents are increasingly struggling to find flexible childcare that meets their needs as well as cover the cost of care. This is despite the survey showing that more mothers are in employment and working full-time, rather than part-time. |
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Wales Online - How to get 30 hours of free childcare a week in Wales including over the holidays
Ben Summer |
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If your child is aged 3 or 4, you could be eligible for up to 30 hours a week of free childcare. The Childcare Offer for Wales covers at least 10 hours of early education and up to 20 hours of childcare outside of this, and (unlike in England, with some exceptions) you can use the full 30 weeks in the school holidays. |
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Blogposts, Podcasts and more
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UCL, Institute of Education - Learning from the Covid lockdowns: how can nurseries support parents and carers at the sharp end?
Rachel Benchekroun and Claire Cameron. |
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Rachel Benchekroun and Claire Cameron explore the role of nurseries not just as the education and care of young children but their place in serving the community, especially since closure of over 1,300 Sure Start children’s centres since 2010. |
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TechRound - From The Beginning: The BabyTech You Need In The Journey To Having Kids |
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TechRound have produced a list of what they determine to be the best Baby Tech websites and apps to support parents. Their list addresses many topics including postpartum mental and physical health, sleep and finding a suitable nanny. |
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Research and Policy Developments
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Ofsted and Care Quality Commission - Press releasee: Ofsted and CQC to review Start for Life services |
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Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will carry out a joint review of support services for parents from conception until their baby is aged 2 years old. The government commissioned review, which will include services delivered through the family hub model, will make recommendations to help improve families’ experiences of the services. |
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Department for Education and Claire Coutinho MP - Press release: Funding plan revealed for free childcare from nine months-old |
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Largest ever expansion of free childcare in England backed by fair funding for all age groups. Nurseries and childminders are a step closer today to rolling out the government’s largest ever expansion of free childcare, as a fair funding formula is set out for the extension of free childcare to cover all ages from nine months to the start of school. The new formula reflects extensive data gathering on the costs early years providers face in offering places for different age groups and how those costs vary across the country. It builds on the existing formula for three- and four-year-olds, where eligible working parents already receive 30 hours of free childcare a week and all parents receive 15 hours.
The proposed formula, now out for consultation, provides additional funding for areas of deprivation, helping to support families by making sure all children get the best start in life no matter where they live. |
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Department for Education – Guidance: Early years stronger practice hubs |
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This guidance is for practitioners who are seeking information about the early years stronger practice hubs programme and the hubs that have been established in every government office region across England. Hubs support other early years settings to improve outcomes for children in their local community, specifically focusing on those areas that were most affected by COVID-19: - personal, social and emotional development - communication and language - early literacy and maths |
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Regulatory Policy Committee - Research and analysis: The Early Years Foundation Stage (Learning and Development and Welfare Requirements) (Amendment) Regulations 2023: RPC Opinion (Green-rated) |
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The Early Years Foundation Stage (Learning and Development and Welfare Requirements) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 were laid before Parliament on 12 July with the IA published alongside. The legalisation enables childcare providers to increase supply to align with additional demand and to increase provider flexibilities to address the long-term decline in the number of childminders. |
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University of East Anglia - What nap times reveal about your child’s brain development |
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The University of East Anglia have explored the link between nap times and brain development. Discussing the study, lead researcher Dr Teodora Gliga said: “Our research shows that how frequently a child naps reflects their individual cognitive need. Some are more efficient at consolidating information during sleep, so they nap less frequently”. |
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Kings College London - Child Health Research |
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Mon, 18 Sep 2023 12:30 - 16:30 BST | St Thomas' Hospital Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7EH
Does your research include or relate to children and young people? Half-day KCL Child Health community building event. This event is for anyone and everyone whose research includes or focusses on children and young people’s health Connect with colleagues also focussed on children and young people’s health, hear more about enhancing the impact of research, by working with NHS, community and other KCL partners. |
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Community Action Network - Early Years Network - November 2023 |
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Tue, 21 Nov 2023 10:00 - 11:00 GMT | Online
CAN networks bring together Voluntary and Community sector (VCS) and public sector professionals in Dorset, with a passion and love for Early Years. Anyone working / volunteering within Early Years (0-5 years) is welcome to attend. Hear CAN’s latest news and events and find ways to support each other and work together.
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