Childcare Sufficency Assessment Refresh 2009

Childcare Costs

The largest single barrier to using childcare given by families is cost. So the Family Information Service have run a "Childcare Costs" campaign. This involved a large advertising campaign and the distribution of posters and leaflets to hundreds of families across the authority.

Find out more about how to reduce your childcare bill.

Family Friendly Employers

The first sufficiency assessment highlighted that local employers would welcome information on how to become more family friendly. As a result the Family Information Service and Daycare Trust provided a free one day event for local employers to look at the benefits of and how to become "family friendly".

The feedback from the day was fantastic and every employer that attended said that they are now more likely to introduce a childcare strategy to support their employees. This could have a postitive impact on the accesiblity of childcare and work for hundreds of local families.

This work forms the first step of developing a fuller strategy for how we can work in partnership with local employers to support families.

Children with Disabilities and Additional Needs

It was highlighted that the original sufficiency assessment did not include enough specific information about the needs of families with disabilities or additional needs. As a result a more specific report has been produced.

Since the last sufficiency assessment was written a parents forum called CANDI has become established in York. This forum gives a powerful voice to parents or carers of children with disabilities and additional needs and will be consulted on about future childcare strategies.

Childminder Recuitment and Retention

The 2008 sufficiency assessment showed that York was following the national trend with more childminders leaving the profession than starting. As a result York FIS carried out a recruitment campaign for new childminders, with a particular focus on the areas most affected (Mickelgate and Clifton wards).

The Early Years and Extended Schools service have also carried out a review of how childminders are supported before and after they open. This review will help shape how future support is offered to make best use of resources and match this to what childminders say is needed.

However, childminder recruitment and retention is still very much an issue as the numbers of childminders operating in York has continued to fall through 2008/09.

Nursery Place Pressures

The 2008 assessment showed that the largest area of pressure on nursery places was in the Micklegate ward. Since the assessment was carried out further feedback has been received which has highlighted this area of town as a significant pressure point. To help try and combat this a number of options are currently being looked at. These include:

• Potential redevelopment of the former Terry's site to include a nursery.
• Reconfiguration of existing buildings that offer nursery provision so as to increase their capacity.
• The establishment of a 9th Children's Centre in this ward (now confirmed as Knavesmire Primary School)

Before and After School Care

The 2008 assessment showed that there were some schools with a pressure on out of school care. A list of the schools affected and what has happened in the last year are shown below:

• Scarcroft Primary School
  • This area has been and continues to be the focus of a childminder recruitment campaign.
  • A community building opposite the school is being refurbished which may offer some options for after school capacity.
  • There is also a walking bus to a neighbouring schools after school club.
• Knavesmire Primary School
  • This area has been and continues to be the focus of a childminder recruitment campaign.
  • The out of school club has reviewed its waiting list and currently has around 5/6 children on it's waiting list every night. The club has said they would be happy to expand but the logistics of this need to be properly explored before this can happen.
• Huntington Primary School
  • A number of parents expressed the need for an onsite out of school club. The school is currently served by 11 childminders, many of whom have before or after school vacancies.

Impact of the Recession

It is vitally important that we carefully look at how we support families and childcare providers through the recession. As a result we have carried out campaigns (as mentioned above) about how families can reduce their childcare bill. We have also reviewed how the downturn has affected the sustainability of childcare providers to keep running.

You can download a summary of this report.