NDNA wins two-year-old support contracts
Catherine Gaunt
Friday, November 30, 2012
The National Day Nurseries Association has won ten contracts to support 62 local authorities in England with the rollout of free early education places for disadvantaged two-year-olds
The support has been commissioned as part of the Achieving Two Year Olds contract that Mott MacDonald and Hempsall’s are delivering across all 152 local authorities in England on behalf of the Department for Education.
The management, engineering and development consultancy was awarded the £4m contract in June.
NDNA was originally part of a consortium of early years organisations that included the Pre-School Learning Alliance, Pen Green, and the Daycare Trust that bid for the initial contract.
Part of this work has now been sub-contracted out to the NDNA.
The NDNA said that work with local authorities will vary depending on the needs of each local authority, but will include running training for childcare providers on how to work with vulnerable families and how to integrate the two-year-olds’ offer into their business model.
It will also include working with local authorities to help ensure there will be sufficient childcare places to meet demand in their areas.
NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku said, ‘NDNA is keen to support childcare providers and local authorities with the delivery of the free entitlement for two-year- olds, so we are delighted to have been awarded these contracts. We look forward to continued work with Mott MacDonald and Hempsall’s throughout the roll-out of the free two-year-old entitlement.’
From September 2013, 130,000 two-year-olds from low-income families will be eligible for 15 hours a week of free early education.
