15 hours... supporting families in rural areas

Such needs are very different to urban arrangements and childminders and networks can play a key role offering increased flexibility, individually or working in partnership.

Rachel Hanley has been a childminder for over 13 years in the market town of Barnard Castle, in the rural area of County Durham. The increased demand for places resulted in Rachel recruiting an assistant and she now offers six places, Monday to Thursday each week. Rachel has an NNEB qualification, is a member of the Teesdale quality assured childminding network and has undertaken the local accreditation process. She is delivering the free entitlement flexibly by offering a shared model of early education with her local school nursery.

She has been able to overcome problems of distance where daily drop-offs between the different settings are unmanageable.

For example, one family divides their 15 hours between the nursery and Rachel's setting, and they have time at home too. Another family use their entitlement in such a way so the grandparents can look after the child on two days and take them to the nursery.

The relationship with the school nursery is a true example of a shared childcare partnership and demonstrates how providers of the free entitlement can work together to meet the needs of families. Together, they are providing families with local choices, highlighting how children can benefit from both home and group-based early education.

This ability to offer the flexible entitlement has been beneficial for Rachel's childminding business and the nursery too. Rachel's knowledge and understanding of the children (who she has minded since they were babies) has supported their smooth transition into nursery. Rachel and the teacher hold regular meetings to review and share children's progress, and to plan and co-ordinate next steps. Rachel is able to demonstrate progress that may not have been observed in nursery through the learning journals she keeps. Having the Foundation Stage lead at the nursery as her linked support teacher cements the two-way nature of the partnership. The arrangement works well for Rachel, who can plan her days without having the disruption of breaking off for nursery pick-ups.

Through this flexible and responsive approach, families in this rural area have a choice of the early education they can access to best meet the needs of their child. They are able to balance home and work, and overcome the transport barriers associated with living in a rural area.

Together, the partnership continues to have the ability to be responsive to the changing local market and individual families' needs, providing access to the full 15 hours entitlement flexibly within the rural community.

Further information:

James Hempsall is director of training and research provider Hempsall's (www.hempsallconsultancies.com).