PACEY and the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) have launched a campaign to help parents understand the childcare choices available to them, and of the important role that childminders can play.
The project forms a key part of the Childminder Champions campaign, funded by the Department for Education. As well as celebrating the vital role childminders play in building bright futures for children, Childminder Champions aims to increase parental knowledge and understanding of childminding as a high quality childcare option – and to de-bunk some of the myths about childminding among parents.
By working with health visitors across the country, the campaign aims to help shift perceptions of childminders among parents. PACEY has joined forces with the Institute of Health Visiting to help health visitors provide information to parents about their childcare choices and also to explain about the forthcoming changes to the early years entitlement with the roll out of 30 hours. PACEY will also be connecting with health visiting teams in ten local authority areas, and cascading information through the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association.
Liz Bayram, PACEY’s chief executive comments: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Institute of Health Visiting to promote childminding. With 92% of childminders now rated as good and outstanding in England; this unique community-based early education is ideally placed to help grow the capacity needed to support more families to access their funded hours. Health visitors play a key role in supporting parents with decision making at key stages of transition. We are delighted to be working with iHV to ensure that health visitors have the information they need to support parents with making childcare choices that are right for them and for their children.”
Julie Cooper , Communications and Marketing Manager, Institute of Health Visiting, said: “The iHV is delighted to be working with PACEY on promoting the different childcare options available to parents. Health visitors meet all new parents several times during the first 2½ years of a child’s life through the mandated contacts of the Healthy Child Programme and are well positioned to share lots of useful and important information with parents on child development. The Institute, together with PACEY, has developed new resources for health visitors so that they are aware of the different childcare options available including the extended entitlement coming in from September. These new resources include a briefing, a short fact sheet on childcare options and the new 30 hours entitlement, a dedicated online portal with childcare information for health visitors as well as leaflets and videos to share with parents. The Institute will share these new resources via its monthly newsletter to its members and its website, as well as sharing them on its social media channels.”
The resources for health visitors can be accessed here.