Take government cash for childcare
'OUTSTANDING' childcare could be on offer in the city if nurseries take advantage of government cash.
Rachel Hill, owner of Altofts Private Day Nursery, has just been given 15,500 to carry out improvements to her business.
She now wants others, running childcare facilities, to take advantage of the government's Capital Grant, which was first made available to Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) childcare providers in 2007.
Mrs Hill will be speaking at a national conference later this year about the grants.
She said: "Since we received the funding in March, I have been shouting from the rooftops about the benefits and letting other nurseries know about it.
"If other centres get the grant, and I think many of the people I have spoken to are planning on applying this financial year, then the level of childcare on offer in the area is going to be outstanding."
A complex application process has stopped many centres from going for the cash.
But Mrs Hill says they should not be put off by the paper work.
The nursery, on Church Road, has spent the 15,500 on toys and equipment plus fitting a disability access ramp, safety railings and a new intercom system. Mrs Hill has been asked to speak at the Nursery World conference in Birmingham in September where she will address an audience of childcare experts, including members of Ofsted, teachers and fellow nursery owners.
She said: "To qualify for the grant we had to conduct a lot of research into what children, parents and staff wanted from their nursery. We are going to share our findings and I will discuss the application process."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Wakefield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
