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• Childcare (Family Information Service)

• Help for childcare providers

Help for Early Years Childcare Providers

Information and support for those providing, or thinking of providing Early Years and Childcare services in Coventry. 

Which childcare qualification?

Confused over the range of qualifications that Early Years and Play workers have today? Visit the Children's Workforce Development Council website for help and further information.

Employment laws

View Coventry City Council's Employment Laws guide for a full range of contacts relating to employment laws please. 
For the latest information on tax visit the HM Revenue & Customs information website at www.hmrc.gov.uk.

Resource library

Did you know that Coventry Family Information Service provides a book reference section for early Years providers and students. If you are studying towards a qualification, researching a particular topic, or are just seeking inspiration for activities within your setting, then come along and view our selection of Early Years materials at the Coventry Family Information Service.

Coventry early years and childcare service

Coventry Early Years and Childcare Development Team are a multi-skilled team offering support and advice to existing and potential childcare providers. The team can be contacted by telephone on 024 7678 5901 or by e-mail at childcare@development.coventry.gov.uk   The types of services provided by the team are :    

Coventry Early Years and Childcare Development Team

• Support providers in the creation of new childcare places throughout the city.
• Lead in new developments and initiatives that will build on existing childcare provision across the city.
• Support new developments such as Extended School provision and Children's Centres in Coventry.
• Offer mentor support to providers who are undertaking Quality Assurance Schemes.
• Monitor the quality of provision that has received grant funding.
• Support Toy and Resource Libraries across the City.
• Offer training and practical workshops to childcare practitioners.

Advice and support officers

• Offer advice and guidance to providers across the childcare sector and childminders in Coventry on meeting the Ofsted National Daycare Standards.
• Deliver briefings and offer support visits to existing and potential childminders and Day Care providers on the Ofsted regulations and requirements.
• Act as a liaison between the Early Years and Childcare Service and the Ofsted Early Years Directorate.
• Carry out premises checks prior to the Ofsted Registration process and offer support to existing providers around 'Getting ready for your Inspection'.
• Support all providers with pre-registration systems.

The business support officer

• Offers advice and support to new and existing childcare providers around essential elements such as business planning, cash flow forecast and sustainability.
• Offers advice on grants funding bids. 
• Leads on financial management of grant funded projects.
• Co-facilitates the Coventry Business Forum for providers, owners and managers of childcare settings.
• Works closely with other team members, particularly the Finance and Monitoring Officer.

The finance and monitoring officer

• Offers support and training to new and existing childcare providers around cash flow forecasts, cashbooks and petty cash systems.
• Monitors providers who have received funding.

The marketing and communication officer

• Offers practical advice and support to new and existing childcare providers about how to market their provision in a creative and professional way.
• Offers advice on press releases.
• Signposts to professional design companies to create marketing and publicity materials.
• Explores ways of engaging staff members to be part of the marketing strategy and to make the staff feel valued by their participation.
• Encourages the provision to look at different ways to promote themselves in a positive manner.
• Works closely with other team members to promote the individual services that are available within the Coventry Early Years and Childcare Service.

Coventry Early Years and Childcare Training team

• Offer support to all registered childcare workers who wish to undertake and access  appropriate qualifications for their job role by offering a wide variety of training courses at venues city wide.
• Work closely with the Recruitment Officer to enable people who are new to the profession to have the correct information about suitable qualifications which are necessary for their chosen career.
• Link with private training providers, local colleges and the Adult Education Service to enable childcare settings and childcare workers to access training and to continue their professional development.

The NCMA childminding project manager

• Delivers briefings to potential new childminders and ensures all childminders have support and up to date training.
• Co-ordinates the Childminding Start-up Grant.
• Manages the Care to Learn Co-ordinator who is supporting teenage parents looking to return to training or Further Education.

The childminding development worker

• Provides support and guidance to local childminding groups who are undertaking the NCMA Quality Assurance Scheme.

The Childminder Support Co-ordinator

• Links new childminders to experienced childminders who will act as mentors.
• Offers support over sustainability issues and provides guidance to the Coventry Childminding Association.

The Coventry Pre-School Learning Alliance development workers    

• Support pre-school settings, both private and those with voluntary management committees.
• Support providers in the creation of new childcare places throughout the city.
• Offer mentor guidance to providers who are undertaking the PLA Quality Assurance schemes.
• Offer training and practical workshops to childcare practitioners.
• Offer advice to parents about the Nursery Education Grant which provides nursery places for all 3 and 4 years olds.

The Access and Inclusion development worker

• Works with identified groups around inclusion issues and acts as an advocate on behalf of parents seeking access to early education and childcare.
• Supports providers around access and inclusion by working closely with the Area SENCO team to identify the needs of both staff and children.
• Is responsible for the Inclusion Grant and helps providers to access funding or support to enable the inclusion of children with specific needs, including SEN, disability, complex medical needs and social inclusion.

The Care to Learn co-ordinator

• Acts as a link with both Access and Inclusion Development Worker and the Childminding Development Worker to provide support to young parents who need to access childcare.
• Works closely with childcare providers to identify childcare places to support teenage parents who are looking to return to Further Education or training in Coventry.

Contact details

You can request information using our online enquiry form. If you prefer to leave a telephone message please remember to leave your name, postal address, and age of your child(ren). Alternatively just leave your telephone number and an information officer will contact you as soon as possible.