Childcare expansion capital grant and children’s centre buildings

We know that many of you have been waiting for more information about the capital funding that has been allocated to Devon County Council. This funding has been given specifically to increase the number of childcare places for babies and two-year-olds all year round and it can also be used to increase the supply of wraparound places for primary school aged children in the mornings and after school between 8.00am and 6.00pm.

You haven’t missed anything…

It has taken much longer than anticipated to finalise the legal and financial documents and processes. Rather than rush to get the application form and information out before the end of term we have decided to launch it at the beginning of the autumn term so you will be able to apply for the funding early in the new academic year.

Consultation on Childrens Centre Buildings

In addition to this we have been keeping a keen eye on the consultation about Family Hubs and the proposals for the use of Childrens Centre buildings. The consultation has now closed. Proposals for the Childrens Centre buildings can be seen on this webpage. This is a large piece of work being undertaken by the Commissioning Team in Devon County Council. If there are Childrens Centre buildings that become available for use some of the capital funding may be required to make changes to the buildings, so they are suitable for the provision of full day care.

Although it is not clear when we will know about the availability of these buildings, we can tell you that there will need to be a formal application process to identify the providers who will operate out of these premises. Devon County Council must be equitable and fair and cannot advantage one provider over another by giving them priority to move into a building. When we know more about this we will let you know. We would expect new, additional childcare places to be created within these buildings if they can be used.

More about the capital funding

If you are interested in applying for capital funding please use the time between now and September to prepare for completing the application form.

You may want to get quotes for the work that you plan to carry out, contact your landlord to discuss your project if you lease a building and get their permission to do work on their building or start working with a building professional to draw up plans.

If you have given time and thought to what you need to do to create more places you will be well placed to make an application as soon as the form comes out.

It is vitally important that the funding is targeted at areas where we most need more places. If you can gather evidence of need to support your application this would be time well spent too.

The date to remember is September 2025 because that is when all the places will be needed. If places can be created sooner that is great, but we need most of the capital project to have created more places by then.

When considering your capital project work backwards from that date if you can. We know that larger projects may not be completed by then, but we are aiming for most of the funding to be spent to enable the places to be delivered by that date.

That’s all for now, keep a look out in the September Digest for more information!