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Home Education and families Early Years and Childcare
BETA

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Early Years and Childcare

Work to provide access to flexible, affordable and high quality childcare for all

  • Introduction

  • Early years news and updates

  • Business and committee support

  • Information for Out of School Childcare Providers

  • Working with children

  • Childcare sufficiency assessments

  • Support with childcare costs for parents

  • Free School Meals and Funding for 2 Year Olds

  • Downloads

  • Contact

Introduction

The Early Years Commissioning Team has duties under the Childcare Acts of 2006 and 2016 to ensure that there are a sufficient number of sustainable and high quality childcare places for children aged 0-19 and their families.

There are a sufficient number of childcare places in an area if there are enough childcare places available to meet the needs of working parents, and enough places for all eligible children to take up the Early Years Entitlement.

The team works with childminders, pre-schools, playgroups, day nurseries, out of school clubs and schools.

If you want information about 2 year old funding please visit our Paying for childcare page.

Early years news and updates

Information will be updated regularly and will include any important news from Ofsted.

Childcare Works presentations – 12 March 2019

Changing Lives Through Childcare presentation

Childcare matters presentation

Early Years Communities Induction Day

Early Years Communities Induction Day November 2018 presentation

EpiPen and EpiPen junior shortage

EpiPen and EpiPen Junior Guidance

Parent Guardian Letter

Somerset’s Strategy for Achieving Excellence for All

Vision and Priorities for Improvement – 2016 -2020
Early Years Strategy

Early Years Provider Information Evenings – Summer 2019

PowerPoint presentation

English as an Additional Language support

Somerset Early Years EAL Advisory Service

Advisory Service for English as an Additional Language available to all early years providers.

There are free services available to early years providers in Somerset for translation to help communicate more effectively with children and families.  These services are provided by DA Languages and Diversity Voice. Diversity Voice offers translation into and from Polish. Translation for all other languages are offered by DA Languages.

Interpreting and Translation for Early Years services

Diversity Voice service – English

Diversity Voice service – Polish

D.A. Languages information

DA Languages telephone interpreting service

DA Languages booking instructions

DA Languages booking

Report an issue with translation services

Business and committee support

  • Advice on business sustainability and financial planning
  • Support Committees with effective practice and legislative requirements
  • Inclusion funding for holiday play-schemes and out of school provision
  • Support and advice for providers setting up new childcare provisions
  • Provide support and guidance to Out of School provision 6 to 19

Information for Out of School Childcare Providers

  • Provide support
  • Provide resources
  • Details of Network meetings
  • Ofsted updates

Working with children

  • How to become a childminder
  • How to advertise job vacancies
  • Continuing professional development

Childcare sufficiency assessments

  • Report on childcare sufficiency in Somerset
  • Local area sufficiency assessments available on request

Support with childcare costs for parents

  • Funded places for two-year olds
  • Funded places for all three and four-year olds
  • Other support available for childcare costs

Free School Meals and Funding for 2 Year Olds

  • Application form for funded places for two-year olds and free school meals

Downloads

Understanding health and education services

Paying for childcare

Types of childcare

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