The number of children per registered full day care setting place was 1.6 in 2001, 1.5 in 2003 and 1.4 in 2005. 2005 is the latest date for which figures are available. The number of children enrolled is greater than the number of places, as part-time children can share a full time place.
These figures are based on findings from nationally representative surveys of registered child care and early years providers, which are commissioned by the Department. The survey began in 1998 and was repeated in 2001, 2002/03 and 2005. Therefore while it is possible to provide occupancy rates for places in full day care settings for 2001, 2002/03 and 2005 it is not possible to provide the relevant data for 2002 and 2003 separately or for 2004.
The Childcare Approval Scheme (CAS) approves carers who provide care in a child’s own home and childminders who care for children aged eight and over. Since the introduction of the scheme in April 2005, 3,443 carers have been approved by the CAS. By 30 November 2006, 2,213 carers had been approved since the beginning of 2006.
(2) how many children’s centres were established in 2005-06; how many are forecast to be established in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; how many children’s places were available in 2005-06; and how many are forecast to be available in (i) 2006-07 and 2007-08;
(3) what percentage of children’s centres have at least one early years professional;
(4) what assessment he (a) has made and (b) plans to make of the effectiveness of children’s centres; and if he will make a statement.
As of 1 December 2006 there were 1,048 designated Sure Start children’s centres. We are on track to meet our 2008 target of 2,500 centres and our 2010 target of 3,500 children’s centres, one for every community.
There were 550 Sure Start children’s centres established in 2005-06. A further 336 centres were designated between April and November 2006 as local authorities completed the roll out of the first phase of the programme. Local authorities are responsible for planning and managing the delivery of children’s centres, and future designation dates are subject to change as they revise their plans. Authorities receive ongoing support and challenge from the Department to ensure their overall targets are met.
We do not centrally record the number of child care places available in children’s centres. Centres in the most disadvantaged areas cannot be designated without integrated early learning and child care for children under the age of five, but local authorities decide how many places can be sustained in a given area. However, we are implementing more sophisticated tracking systems for the second phase of the programme (2006-08) that will provide a clearer picture of services delivered.
There are currently no early years professionals although some people are currently receiving the training. However, for a children’s centre to be designated it must employ a qualified teacher who spends half their working hours at the centre. The qualified teacher’s role is to lead the planning, development and delivery of the curriculum and lead on the observation and assessment of young children’s progress.
No assessment to date has been made of the effectiveness of Sure Start children’s centres which are still in the early stages of roll out and it is too early to assess what impact they are having. However, some children’s centres have been developed from earlier Sure Start funded settings such as Sure Start Local Programmes and evaluation of these programmes is under way. Lessons from this research are being used to inform the development of Sure Start children’s centres including the recently published “Revised Sure Start Children’s Centres Practice Guidance” and “Planning and Performance Management Guidance” for local authorities and Sure Start Children’s Centres.
We are giving further consideration to how we can best assess the effectiveness of children’s centres in the longer term.