Early Years and Childcare Service

About the Service

Doncaster Early Years and Childcare Service is responsible for delivering the Government's 10 Year Childcare Strategy as well as meeting the duties under the new Childcare Act 2006.

Some of the main Service priorities are to:            

• Implement a Capital Programme to support the delivery of fully operational services in Children's Centres and establish a robust performance management framework.

• Raise and support the quality of the Early Years and Childcare workforce

• Improve outcomes for children by ensuring that 70% of early years provision is rated good or above by Ofsted.  

• Undertake a Childcare Sufficiency Assessment to identify gaps and manage the childcare market to ensure the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of working parents and parents making the transition into work.

• Extend the range of information, advice and assistance to parents and prospective parents and carry out a childcare sufficiency assessment to ensure that the range of childcare provision meets the needs of parents.

See the left-hand menu for further useful links to the areas covered within the Early Years and Childcare Service.

Doncaster Childcare Sufficiency Assessment

The Childcare Act 2006 states that from April 2008 local authorities will have a duty to secure sufficient childcare to enable parents to work, or undertake training leading to work.

The purpose of the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment is to establish where there is sufficient childcare to meet working parent's needs and identify any gaps in the childcare market.  The information will enable the Local Authority and their partners to work together to develop children's centre area action plans to support the market and identify actions based on the recommendations to address the childcare gaps.

Doncaster's 2011 Childcare Sufficiency Assessment is now available.

For more information about childcare in Doncaster contact Doncaster Families Information Service on 0800 138 4568 or visit www.doncasterchildrenandfamilies.info