New and developing early years and childcare businesses
Are you thinking of developing a new early years and childcare business or expanding your current business? Here is some useful information:
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Documents to browse
This reports provides background information on childcare in Devon, assesses the sufficiency of childcare and identifies areas where further action is required.
As part of the local authorities role as the education authority, Devon County Council have produced a plan on where it intends to place new schools as a result of expanding populations and new housing developments. Early Years provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds will be incorporated into all new schools and it is assumed that wrap around childcare provision for school aged children will be provided by these schools. Devon County Council no longer will be running new schools but will commission out the running of the schools including the early years provision. There could be an opportunity here for early years and childcare businesses to work in collaboration with a provider of a school to offer the new early years provision and also out of school provision for older children.
Details any proposed school competitions, open for sponsors to compete to establish a new school can be found on the New Schools Planning page.
For more guidance on this please view the following document: – Information on making Early Years Provision in New Schools.
The New Schools Network is a service that supports anyone interested in setting up a school. Those who sign up will be able to use the forums, network with others interested in Free Schools and find contacts in your area. Groups that are setting up free schools may consider working in partnership with an early years childcare provider so that the school can offer early years provision for children from 0 to 4, childcare that wraps around the school day and possibly also during the school holidays for all children.
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Childcare Sufficiency Hot Spots
Childcare sufficiency hot spots are areas where there is a need for more provision or where further work is required by the Early Years and Childcare Service.
The childcare sufficiency hot spots are set out in the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment.
For further information please e-mail childcareinfo@devon.gov.uk.
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Current known opportunities for development
For more information on current opportunities for development of childcare please see Opportunities for Development.
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New housing development / district planning
The key areas for development across Devon are where there are large new housing developments as it is anticipated that this will increase the population of children in the area therefore increasing the demand for early years and childcare provision.District planning / Local plans
In order to identify where there are new housing developments that could increase the demand for childcare you will need to look at the district council planning pages. Local Plans are documents prepared by the district councils that set out what development they are planning including housing developments in the forthcoming planning period. District councils are at various stages with their local plans.
The district council planning pages can be found here:
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What's next?
- Think about where you would like to set up your new early years and childcare business?
- Have you thought about…
- the current known development opportunities
- new housing developments
- new commercial developments
- travel to work routes
- working with schools to offer Early Years Provision?
- Once you have decided which area you are planning to develop your business in, please email childcareinfo@devon.gov.uk and we will direct you to the relevant Locality Team to discuss the development and plan the next steps.