Early years settings urged to take part in 30 hours survey
Friday, December 1, 2017
Nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are being invited to give their views on 30-hour childcare, three months after its national roll-out.
Specialist early years research agency Ceeda is looking for more nurseries and childminders to join its About Early Years (AEY) research panel, for which Nursery World is the media partner, and take part in its autumn survey on the 30 hours of funded childcare.
So far, over 1,600 nurseries and 400 childminders have joined the panel, which was launched in May. The target is 3,000 nurseries and pre-schools and 1,000 childminders.
Jo Verill, managing director of Ceeda, said the aim was 'to retain people over time to build a richer picture of what is happening'. There will periodic recruitment campaigns to ensure the profile of the sample remains representative.
Panel members will be sent an online survey three times a year, the data from which will feed into a large-scale analysis of key sector trends to help providers plan for the future and inform national policy direction.
The autumn survey will look at what the introduction of the 30-hours has meant for settings and the families they work with, with the aim of shining a light on what is happening on the ground post roll-out. Panel members will receive e-mail invitations to take part in the survey, which closes on 8 December.
Ms Verill said, ‘Settings registered on the research panel have been receiving their invitation to take part in the autumn survey and we encourage everyone to contribute before the deadline of 8th December, regardless of your position on 30-hour delivery.
‘The study goes beyond opinion polling to collect detailed information on capacity, occupancy and delivery models. While this means a time commitment of between 30 minutes to one hour for each childcare setting, feedback at this early stage is vital. The study will help both childcare providers and politicians learn from the sector-wide experience of these early months – and what this means for childcare settings and families, going forward.
‘For those settings not yet registered on the About Early Years research panel, there is still time to get involved. Register online today to receive a survey invitation. It is free to join and take part, and participation is entirely voluntary.’
- Register to join the panel at https://www.research.net/r/GCPKFRD
