Decision - Early Years Capital Grant

1.         That the following strategy for the funding be agreed:

·       To improve outcomes for young children and to narrow the gap for the most disadvantaged children by targeting funding on those groups with the worst environments identified in a citywide audit of rented premises or where capital alterations are needed to include children with disabilities.

·       To support the Council’s childcare sufficiency duty by targeting funding on settings which offer affordable childcare, where childcare places are needed to meet local demand.  This will include ensuring that sessional providers can offer the increased entitlement to 15 hours of flexible, free early years provision and could include expanding the number of places where there is clear evidence of unmet demand. 

·       To link with the Primary Capital Strategy by aiming to relocate groups in the poorest multi-purpose accommodation into purpose built premises on school sites where possible, taking into account the local demand for places and the quality of existing provision.

2.         That all landlords and providers allocated funding should agree to funding conditions including opening for a minimum of 15 hours a week, 38 weeks a year to fit with the extension of the free early years entitlement, to commit that the premises will be used for childcare for at least 5 years, and to not raise the rent above inflation as a consequence of the improvements.

3.         That the following initial funding priorities for the first year’s funding of £1,062,000 (this can be carried into 2009/10) and that the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People should agree individual grants to providers.  The initial allocation be agreed as follows:

a)          £312,000 for grants of up to £50,000 for groups identified in the citywide audit as needing improvements to their internal and external areas which can be made with a small grant. The first priority will be for groups in multi-use premises and the second will be for voluntary groups in rented premises.  

b)          £100,000 for adaptations to buildings and special equipment to include children with disabilities (eg. ramps and stair lifts).  This would be open to all groups where the need is agreed by the Pre School SEN Service.

c)          £50,000 to pay for feasibility studies where there are serious defects in buildings which cannot be met with a small grant.  The results of these studies will be used to inform funding decisions for subsequent years.

d)          £100,000 for grants of up to £3,000 a group for equipment for all groups in multi-use premises to help them manage clearing away at the end of each session and for all voluntary run groups.

e)          £500,000 to fund an extension at Peter Gladwin Primary School to house a local pre-school and to agree to ask both local pre-schools to express an interest in moving in to the new premises.

1.       The funding aims to improve the quality of the learning environment with a strong emphasis on children accessing a high quality outside environment.  There are just over 100 daycare providers in the city in the private, voluntary and independent sector with a wide variation in the standards of premises.  In Brighton and Hove the provision with the poorest quality accommodation is based in buildings where either the land or the building is rented.  There are two main issues:

•        these groups cannot access investment to improve the buildings;

·       Many of these buildings are multi-purpose eg. church halls and sports pavilions and have to meet the needs of different users.  Groups often have to clear away all their equipment at the end of the day.  

2.       An audit is being completed of groups in rented accommodation across the city looking at the state of repair of the building including access to natural light, disability access and children’s access to a safe outside space.  Many of these buildings and sites are owned by the Council.

3.       The Childcare Sufficiency Assessment identified the need for more affordable childcare in the city for children under 5.

1.       The recommendations follow the guidance from the Department for Children, Families and Schools.  Targeting the funding on the settings in greatest need supports the Council’s duty to improve early years outcomes and narrow the gap between the most disadvantaged children and their peers.