Supporting existing childcare providers

Bedfordshire County Council is now legally obliged to ensure the quality of childcare and early years settings within Bedfordshire.

The Childcare Development team supports all day care settings across Bedfordshire. Each day nursery, pre-school, before and after school club and holiday scheme has a dedicated Childcare Development Officer who works across their Learning Community.

The Childcare Development Officers offer a completely free service. They can advise and help on all areas of a setting's work, apart from specific queries regarding the Foundation Stage Curriculum. Please contact your Early Years Advisory teacher on (01234) 228721 for advice regarding the Foundation Stage Curriculum.

This could include:

• Queries regarding a forthcoming or recent Ofsted inspection
• Advice on expanding your services
• Help with sourcing funding for new projects
• Help interviewing for new staff, or putting a new job description together
• Assistance with writing a new policy or procedure
• Working with you on your Operational Plan
• Clarification on aspects of the National Daycare Standards
• Working with a Committee or other management group
• Drawing up an action plan to meet a particular need
• Strategies for dealing with a range of issues
• Looking at potential new premises
• Signposting you to the correct agency or department
• Helping you with your training needs
• Almost anything else a childcare provider would need!

Each setting receives a full Quality Visit once a year, which is an opportunity to look at the setting as a 'critical friend'. It gives the chance to provide on the spot advice to ensure that standards are being met (in preparation for Ofsted inspections), that groups are keeping up to date with all new developments and thinking strategically about their own future. It is also about increasing standards so that the best possible quality childcare is being offered to the children of Bedfordshire.

Other visits take place throughout the year on a needs basis, but your Development Officer is always available by telephone or email and is always happy to help with any query.  To view contact details of your Development Officer please click here|.