How many children aged under three should childminders and nursery staff be allowed to look after at the same time?
A relaxation in the number of pre-school children that nurseries and registered childminders can oversee has been announced in order to professionalise the pre-school workforce and cut the cost of childcare in England.
During Daycare Trust's National childcare week, lots of you got involved. Thank you for taking part and helping us to highlight the importance of childcare, extended schools, and early years provision. The theme in this 15th year was Families in Focus; promoting the benefits of engaging the whole family, including dads and grandparents, in your childcare setting. We asked you to hold a Big Breakfast Bonanza, and to invite children, parents, carers and other family members to join in the celebrations and share a morning meal.
Children, parents and staff at MerrydaleDay Nursery wore colourful hats and clothes at their Big Breakfast Bonanza. The nursery in Berkshire invited parents to join in and together made funny faces on pancakes using fruits.
Nursery manager Kayleigh Gardner said: "After breakfast, the children let multi-coloured balloons off into the air to make a wet grey sky as colourful and fun as our day."
"At Merrydale we really pride ourselves on family involvement and that's why these events are so important to make successful parent partnerships."
The winning picture: Children at Merrydale Day Nursery enjoying their Big Breakfast Bonanza complete with smiles and party hats!
Runners up were: Bonus Ball Out of School Club based in Glasgow and The Sunflowers Day Nursery based in Market Harborough.
Many thanks to Community Playthings and Smith Martin for their kind support.
We are interested in collecting information and finding out more about parental engagement. If you held or are holding an event we’d like your help to find out whether holding a Big Breakfast Bonanza or similar event changes how many dads and grandparents get more involved. If you’d like to help us, please get in touch: eoakden@daycaretrust.org.uk
National Childcare Week 2012 was kindly supported by:
Care.com is a unique on-line marketplace, offering UK families the ability to find carers across the lifecycle of care needs, from childcare to care for older people. Care.com is dedicated to providing families with a safe, secure way to find high-quality carers.
Good Care Guide enables families using childcare or eldercare to find, rate and review their care provider(s). Sign up now to have your say to help improve care and help other families choose better care. Launched in February 2012, www.goodcareguide.co.uk has attracted hundreds of thousands of visits and reviews. Good Care Guide was set up by My Family Care and United for All Ages and works with Daycare Trust, Ofsted and other national organisations.
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The new name for Daycare Trust and the Family and Parenting Institute.
Report reveals childcare is the luxury that families have to afford as figures show that nursery, childminder and after-school club costs are all rising at more than double the rate of inflation.
The two charities merged on 1 January 2013 and the new charity will be launched in April 2013.
A review of Daycare Trust's achievements in 2012
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