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Elsecar to have brand new childcare facility

NEWS RELEASE

15 December 2003

Elsecar to have brand new childcare facility

The national charity for pre-schools in England, Pre-school Learning Alliance, has been awarded a grant to build a new neighbourhood nursery in the grounds of Elsecar Holy Trinity C.E. Primary School. The nursery will be based in the village of Elsecar, Barnsley and, with support from the Pre-school Learning Alliance, hopes to provide the very best childcare facilities to meet the needs of families in the area.

Elsecar Neighbourhood Nursery will deliver flexible care for children from birth to school age, including full day care, allowing for continuity of care for the children and their families in the Elsecar area. The facility will provide a safe, friendly and caring environment in which children can learn in preparation for school.

Today an award of £286.000 from the New Opportunities Fund was announced and this will be used to build a brand new nursery, which will provide 50 nursery places. The new building, which is expected to be completed next spring, will be of great benefit to the village of Elsecar as, currently, parents in the area have no local childcare provision. Elsecar is based in a designated Sure Start area and is, therefore, part of the Government's initiative which aims to improve facilities for families in the most disadvantaged wards.

Sonia Leigh, Branch Manager for the Pre-school Learning Alliance in Barnsley commented:

"Parents and carers are having to travel, many on foot, to neighbouring villages for childcare facilities at the moment — this has obvious disadvantages. Therefore having affordable, accessible childcare in the village is fantastic. Elsecar Holy Trinity C. E. Primary school has no feeder nursery at the moment and this has resulted in declining numbers of children attending the school. The neighbourhood nursery will help to combat this, and keep a much needed school alive in the village."

"The nursery will have a healthy impact on regeneration within the village, when it opens its doors in the spring of 2004. It will be a great accomplishment for the school and the village of Elsecar".

Dave Pannett, Head Teacher at Elsecar Holy Trinity Primary School was very pleased with the news, saying:

"We are delighted that, at last, Elsecar village will have a facility for pre-school children".

Neighbourhood Nurseries are part of the Government's wider Neighbourhood Childcare Initiative (NCI). The NCI aims to create new childcare places in the most disadvantaged areas of the country through childminding (25,000), nursery provision (45,000) and out of school care (50,000) and through the support of childminder networks.

The Pre-school Learning Alliance is currently establishing a network of over 30 Neighbourhood Nurseries nationwide. The nurseries will be built to a unique design, designed from the inside out to suit the needs of the children and parents who will use them. The traditional emphasis on the exterior architecture has been replaced with a design based around creating an interior that places children's and parents' needs first. The importance of parental involvement is a key part of the Pre-school Learning Alliance campaign, changing lives changing life.

The campaign is seeking, via its Charter for Parents and the Early Years, to obtain a childcare or nursery place for every child who needs one. The campaign is also calling for the involvement and full consultation of parents in their children's early education; continuity of care for children; and a commitment to ensure a better deal for the voluntary sector as a major contributor to universal childcare.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Andrew Fletcher
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7833 0991
Out of hours press calls: 07979 531 130
E: Andrew Fletcher

Notes for Editors:

  1. The Pre-school Learning Alliance has 15,000 member pre-schools who look after 500,000 young children and their families in England every year. Registered as an educational charity, the Alliance is the national dimension of the pre-school movement. Its member pre-schools are based in the community and most are managed and run by parents, alongside trained staff.
  2. The charity is involved in more Sure Start projects than any other organisation and aims to open around 30 Neighbourhood Nurseries by the end of the year.
  3. Pre-school Learning Alliance members receive a regular magazine (Under Five) reflecting issues affecting the early years sector. If you would like to receive a copy of this please call 020 7833 0991.
  4. Further information and all press releases are available on the Pre-school Learning Alliance's website: www.pre-school.org.uk or email pressoffice@pre-school.org.uk
  5. For more information about the new facility at Elsecar please contact Sonia Leigh on 01226 729580.
  6. The charity recently launched the next phase of its changing lives changing life campaign, which seeks to give all children the best possible start in life. For more information visit www.pre-school.org.uk or call 020 7833 0991
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