Emergency childcare hub provision to end on Friday, July 17
Poster information
Posted on: Thursday 09 July 2020
Emergency childcare hub provision for keyworkers will end on Friday, July 17, ahead of the summer holidays.
The school-based provision for the children of keyworkers opened at the end of March when schools were closed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since schools reopened at the end of June as part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Check In, Catch Up – Prepare for Summer and September’ sessions, each school has accommodated their own hub for the children of keyworkers.
The emergency childcare hubs have been invaluable since they began at the start of the lockdown. For three months, hundreds of teachers and learning support assistants volunteered to work shifts at our six main hub schools with a focus on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children.
In addition, Flying Start settings, some day nurseries and several childminders transformed their own provision to look after the young children of keyworkers. With administration teams also required to staff hubs, taking responsibility for the daily paperwork being sent to the local authority, it has really been an incredible effort with everyone playing a very important role, taking the pressure of families doing critical work during the crisis.
Together, they worked for extended days, throughout weekends and bank holidays as well as the Easter and half-term holiday. We are hugely grateful to them as are all the families who have been supported at this time. With schools now having reopened, we are closing the school provision at the end of next week in preparation for the new term in September.
Bridgend County Borough Council’s cabinet member for education Charles Smith
While provision for children over the age of five will end on July 17, provision for 0 to 4-year-olds who are not in full-time school will run via the Summer Holiday Coronavirus Childcare Assistance Scheme. The scheme which will close to new entrants on Sunday, July 12, is only available to support critical workers to work. For more details or to apply click here.