Childcare in Extended Schools... Time to Think!

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It is the government’s intention that schools will become the hub of communities. One of the elements of being an extended school is for schools to offer additional early years childcare provision, including wrap-around care or signposting to available provision in their community. Obviously not all schools will benefit from the funding available, but many will still want to examine the possibility of providing childcare/signposting to childcare providers in order to be a school providing relevant and appropriate services to their community.

Event Date:

Friday 29 September 2006


 

Friday 29 September 2006


Start Time:

9.00 am


End Time:

1.00 pm


Location:

Ramada Hotel- Shaw's Bridge- Belfast


Cost:

£45 p/delegate


Event Type:

Event


Employers For Childcare welcomes the Extended Schools initiative whilst recognising that it raises concerns for both Principals and existing Childcare Providers.

Concerns for Principals, who wish to investigate the childcare option, include:

• not having the skills and expertise, or the time or desire, to set up and manage an on-site childcare facility
• wanting to contract out the service but still needing to quality assure the scheme
• not knowing how to bring in external childcare providers to run a childcare facility
• how to collaborate effectively with other schools to maximize output
• having to reconceptualise what a school actually is and offer a wider range of services to the community

Concerns for Childcare Providers include:

• potential detriment to children if they are in a “school” environment from early morning to late evening
• the threat of loss of business if a school in their area sets up competing childcare facilities
• increased pressure through legislation (staff ratios for school pick-ups)
• not knowing how to approach local schools to explore ways of collaborating

We are offering you the space and time to:

  • Think about how the childcare element of extended schools will impact on you;
  • Find out what you will need to do to become involved and to plan next steps and,
  • Network, and learn from others who can help you to move forward.

Employers for Childcare have submitted a document for this event as an Adobe PDF File.

adobe pdf file Extended Shool Leaflet (PDF, 374KB)

This file may take up to five minutes to download on a slow connection.


Employers For Childcare | Caroline McClure | 01 Aug 2006
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