I was really pleased on Tuesday 12th May to meet some young people who will be continuing to benefit from our After School Child Care. During my visit to Holy Cross School I met some youngsters who currently access the service at the Palace Project but from September, their own school will become the new centre for our improved out-of-hours child care which will be providing a service for children who use the current site as well as those children who already stay on at Holy Cross for after school activities.
In April the Council's Cabinet approved plans to improve the child care offer by re-locating as many of the projects we operate onto school sites. This will compliment extended school services which many schools already run including breakfast clubs and after school activities.
I believe this is good news for working families for whom the scheme is there to benefit. Parents will be able to make what's on offer work for them and their children and given the co-location on school sites will not need to make the choice between registered childcare and after-school clubs as both will be available under one roof. Parents will also have the peace of mind that their children will be looked after in a safe and enjoyable environment with fewer pupils having to travel to elsewhere for child care at the end of the school day.
Four, and possibly five out of the 10 projects will be transferring to the new locations at the beginning of the new term in September and we will be working the other projects over the coming months.
Cllr Antony Lillis
Cabinet Member for Community and Children's Services
