July 29th, 2010
The Code of Practice on the free entitlement to nursery education will be implemented from September, the Government has confirmed, despite pre-election promises by the Conservatives to suspend it.
The news will come as a blow to some nursery owners who were hoping the Tories would fulfil their pledge to postpone the Code and allow settings to charge top-up fees.
A Government spokesperson said, ‘The new Code of Practice will come into force in September, to ensure that local authorities are working to a clear common framework in implementing the extension to 15 hours. However, we will be looking to streamline this guidance next year.’
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Tags: Childcare news, Early Years Free Entitlement, Early Years Single Funding Formula, Nursery education code of practice, Nursery issue, Nursery Management Software, Nursery news
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July 29th, 2010
Surrey County Council is on course to bolster the number of men it employs in its nurseries, according to the latest figures.
The council’s campaign to improve the “gender imbalance” in the sector has attracted 3,000 visitors to a dedicated childcare jobs website aimed at men.
Of these, 100 calls from men interested in working in nurseries have been received and 37 men have attended an information session on working in the childcare sector.
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Tags: Childcare jobs, Male childcare workers, Nurseries, Nursery news, Nursery staff, Surrey County Council
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July 29th, 2010
Being lavished with affection by your mum as a young child makes you better able to cope with the stresses and strains of adult life, say researchers.
Hugs, kisses and expressive declarations of love appear to rub off and foster emotional resilience.
The results are from nearly 500 people, from the US state of Rhode Island, who were studied as children and adults.
A secure mother-child bond may be key, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reports.
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Tags: Child behaviour, Motherly love
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July 23rd, 2010
From September 2010 the current free entitlement will increase from 12.5 to 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year, and parents will be able to use it more flexibly than at present – over at least three days a week. Since September 2009, all local authorities (LAs) have been required to make the offer available to 25 per cent of their most disadvantaged 3- and 4-year-olds.
The extension to the free entitlement from two-and-a-half hours to three hours, delivered flexibly, is a real issue for some private providers, as the funding from the local authorities will not cover the true costs of running a business.
Purnima Taunuku, chief executive, National Day Nurseries Association was quoted as saying, ‘Many settings are struggling to find a solution to this very difficult issue.’
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Tags: Childcare free entitlement guide, Free early years entitlement guide, Free entitlement good practice, Free entitlement solution, Management software free entitlement, NDNA, Parenta, Purnima Taunuku
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July 21st, 2010
Millions of parents in the UK are being forced to cut their working hours or stop work altogether after having a second child, according to a survey for Aviva.
The Cost of the sibling survey found that parents with two or more children are feeling the “sibling squeeze”. The current average cost of full-time childcare for two children is £17,000 a year, the survey found, with this figure increasing in some areas such as inner-London where the cost of a nursery can rise to £375 a child a week. Childcare costs for children under two years of age can be even higher.
As a result, many parents are deciding to cut their working hours to care for their children themselves after calculating they would be working purely to cover the cost of placing two or more children in childcare full time.
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July 21st, 2010
The government has announced cuts of at least £169.5m to capital fu
nding for a range of projects affecting children and young people, including money for youth facilities, new playgrounds and improved social work IT systems.
The cuts were revealed in a letter from Education Secretary Michael Gove, which was sent to all local authorities this week. The letter states that the £15m the previous government committed to improving the Integrated Children’s System, to help social workers keep better records of the children they support, has been scrapped.
Local authorities have been instructed to dip into the £23m Local Social Work Improvement Fund if they want to continue to address any IT problems they have.
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