Here at Leicester Hospitals, we recognise the importance of ensuring working parents are supported with Childcare Options to ensure that their child/children will receive suitable childcare and be safe and secure.
The information provided below is designed to assist in establishing suitable childcare.
Options Available for Childcare
Nurseries
Nurseries must be registered by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education). Ofsted assesses nurseries to see if they are suitable to provide childcare, look after and be in contact with children. This is done in a number of ways, including health checks, criminal records checks and 'suitable person interviews' on individuals etc.
Ofsted also provide detailed reports of all registered nurseries and these are available to view on their website: www.ofsted.gov.uk
There are different types of nurseries, the main ones are outlined below :-
► Day Nurseries can care for children aged from birth to five years and usually offer day care from 8am to 6pm, for most of the year. All day nurseries will be registered with Ofsted and inspected regularly. You can view inspection reports by visiting the Ofsted website. They can be run by private individuals, community groups, Montessori organisations, commercial businesses or by employers.
► Private Nurseries are owned privately and can offer sessional or full day care to children aged from birth to five years. They may operate only during term-time or could open all year. They are registered with Ofsted and costs for private nurseries will vary depending on the services offered and facilities etc. It is advisable to contact the nurseries you are interested in as early as possible as many nurseries operate waiting lists for children of different age groups.
► Local Education Agency (LEA) Maintained Nursery Schools offer full and part-time early years education places, typically between school hours. They are attached to primary schools. A child can attend for a full or half day. Nursery schools may also offer childcare after school (see out of school clubs). They will be inspected by Ofsted, as part of a school inspection.
For information on a full list of all registered Nurseries, you can contact Ofsted on 08456 40 40 40.
Child minders
Registered Child minders are childcare professionals working in their own homes to provide care and education for other people's children in a family setting.
They have to be inspected and registered by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education) in England. Ofsted provide detailed reports of all registered childminders and these are available on their website: www.ofsted.gov.uk
The National Child minding Association (NCMA) is a professional membership association who work with registered child minders and nannies as well as other individuals and organisations such as local and national government, to ensure families in every community in England and Wales have access to high quality home-based childcare, play, learning and family support. NCMA offers help and advice on a wide range of issues related to home-based childcare
Registered Childminders are permitted to care for 6 children under 8 years of age, no more than 3 children under the age of 5 and out of the 3 no more than 1 child under the age of 1.
Important - It is illegal for an un-registered person to be paid to look after a child, (other than a close relation), in their own home for more than 2 hours. In order to be registered, a childminder’s house must meet with certain safety standards. The childminders medical history is checked, as are police records on every member of the minder’s house over the age of 16.
The National Childminding Association (‘NCMA’) recommends that a contract be agreed and signed between the parent and the minder. This contract sets out the terms of the agreement e.g. fees, holidays, retainers, dietary requirements, etc.
For full information on registered child minders you can contact NCMA as follows:
► Email info@ncma.org.uk
► Telephone 0845 880 0044
Nannies
A nanny is an individual person who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service. Nannies are usually formally trained and many hold the NNEB (National Nursery Examination Board) qualification or equivalent.
There are many employment agencies that specialise in childcare and online services that aid in finding available nannies. Details can be found in the Yellow Pages by visiting www. yell.com which is a leading website for finding local businesses and services online.
Details of available nannies are also advertised in the relevant area’s local newspaper or in magazines like ‘The Lady’ or ‘Nursery World’ and these also provide news and best practice in childcare and early years education.
For information on Nannies, you can also contact the Child Support Agency on 08457 133 133.
Further information on Childcare Options
For further information on Childcare Options you can contact the Childcare Information Service who will provide information on the following :
Child minders Holiday Play Schemes Toy Libraries
Playgroups Créches Working Families Tax Credit
Day Nurseries Nannies / Au Pairs Special Educational Needs
Out of School Clubs Parent and Toddler Groups
Contact Details: -
Leicester Childcare Information Service
Leicester City Council, Education Department, 12 Bishop Street, Leicester LE1 6AF
Telephone Helpline: 0116 225 4890
Leicestershire Children's Information Service
Early Years and Childcare Service, Education Department, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8RA
Telephone Helpline: 0116 305 6545
Saving Money on Childcare
As part of our 'Salary Maxing' range of employee benefits we also offer a Childcare Voucher Scheme which allows working parents to make massive savings on childcare costs.
View our page on further information on 'UHL's Childcare Voucher Scheme'
