Early Years and Childcare

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Childcare Expansion Capital Funding - Expression of Interest

Overview

In the Government’s Spring Budget 2023, the Chancellor announced transformative reforms to childcare, including:

  • The introduction of 30 hours of free childcare for children over the age of nine months. This will be introduced in phases from April 2024 with all qualifying working parents from 9-months to 3-years-olds able to access 30 hours a week from September 2025.
  • Investing in start-up funding to increase the supply of wraparound care in primary schools.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has been allocated £1.87m in capital grant funding which may contribute to capital costs associated with projects that increase the supply of early years place and/or wraparound childcare for primary-school aged children. It is estimated that around 80% of this grant will support the development of additional early years places and 20% for wraparound childcare (approximately £1.498m and £374k respectively, countywide), however there is flexibility for the local authority to use this as they see fit to meet the aims of the expansion.

WSCC will be focusing on projects that will increase the physical capacity of early years and wraparound provision in local areas where demand is likely to exceed existing supply. WSCC will also consider projects that will adapt or improve facilities to expand their use or make places available for a wider range of needs, including for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

Expressions of Interest

Projects will be reviewed against supply and demand data collated and analysed by WSCC as well as information held as part of our sufficiency duties. Viable projects identified through the Expressions of Interest (EOI) process will be invited to complete a formal funding application, which will require further information on your proposed project including more detailed costings.

Please note, the grant is limited and as such unlikely to cover the costs of a new building, however may be able to contribute toward this in areas where there is clear demand for additional places. WSCC would expect that, in most cases, the funded awarded to successful projects will not exceed £50,000.

Completing your form

For more information, and to submit your EOI, visit the Childcare Expansion Capital Grants EOI webpage. The deadline to complete the EOI form is Friday 21 June 2024.

For any questions during this process, please contact: ChildcareExpansionGrants@westsussex.gov.uk.

Providers are advised to read the following documents thoroughly before submitting their EOI:

This Expression of Interest will inform WSCC’s Childcare Expansion Grant Assurance for the DfE. As such, information provided in this EOI will be processed by WSCC and/or Childcare Works on behalf of the DfE.

Privacy Statement

West Sussex County Council will use this expression of interest to collect some personal data which is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject and/or take steps to enter into a further contract. This data will be processed in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, the UK General Data Protection Regulations and any subsequent relevant data and will only be used for the purpose stated. The data we collect will be held securely on computer for a period of up to seven years before being appropriately destroyed. We will not use the data for any other purpose. West Sussex County Council is registered as Data Controller (Reg. No. Z6413427). For further information, please see the West Sussex County Council Privacy Policy(opens in new window).

Accessibility and alternate formats

If you require any of this information in an alternative format, then please contact us by phone 01243 777807 or via email at ChildcareExpansionGrants@westsussex.gov.uk and we will assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 777807.

For more information about the accessibility of this website, please see our Accessibility tab (opens in new window) at the foot of the page.

Childcare Expansion Capital Funding - Expression of Interest

Overview

In the Government’s Spring Budget 2023, the Chancellor announced transformative reforms to childcare, including:

  • The introduction of 30 hours of free childcare for children over the age of nine months. This will be introduced in phases from April 2024 with all qualifying working parents from 9-months to 3-years-olds able to access 30 hours a week from September 2025.
  • Investing in start-up funding to increase the supply of wraparound care in primary schools.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has been allocated £1.87m in capital grant funding which may contribute to capital costs associated with projects that increase the supply of early years place and/or wraparound childcare for primary-school aged children. It is estimated that around 80% of this grant will support the development of additional early years places and 20% for wraparound childcare (approximately £1.498m and £374k respectively, countywide), however there is flexibility for the local authority to use this as they see fit to meet the aims of the expansion.

WSCC will be focusing on projects that will increase the physical capacity of early years and wraparound provision in local areas where demand is likely to exceed existing supply. WSCC will also consider projects that will adapt or improve facilities to expand their use or make places available for a wider range of needs, including for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

Expressions of Interest

Projects will be reviewed against supply and demand data collated and analysed by WSCC as well as information held as part of our sufficiency duties. Viable projects identified through the Expressions of Interest (EOI) process will be invited to complete a formal funding application, which will require further information on your proposed project including more detailed costings.

Please note, the grant is limited and as such unlikely to cover the costs of a new building, however may be able to contribute toward this in areas where there is clear demand for additional places. WSCC would expect that, in most cases, the funded awarded to successful projects will not exceed £50,000.

Completing your form

For more information, and to submit your EOI, visit the Childcare Expansion Capital Grants EOI webpage. The deadline to complete the EOI form is Friday 21 June 2024.

For any questions during this process, please contact: ChildcareExpansionGrants@westsussex.gov.uk.

Providers are advised to read the following documents thoroughly before submitting their EOI:

This Expression of Interest will inform WSCC’s Childcare Expansion Grant Assurance for the DfE. As such, information provided in this EOI will be processed by WSCC and/or Childcare Works on behalf of the DfE.

Privacy Statement

West Sussex County Council will use this expression of interest to collect some personal data which is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject and/or take steps to enter into a further contract. This data will be processed in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, the UK General Data Protection Regulations and any subsequent relevant data and will only be used for the purpose stated. The data we collect will be held securely on computer for a period of up to seven years before being appropriately destroyed. We will not use the data for any other purpose. West Sussex County Council is registered as Data Controller (Reg. No. Z6413427). For further information, please see the West Sussex County Council Privacy Policy(opens in new window).

Accessibility and alternate formats

If you require any of this information in an alternative format, then please contact us by phone 01243 777807 or via email at ChildcareExpansionGrants@westsussex.gov.uk and we will assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 777807.

For more information about the accessibility of this website, please see our Accessibility tab (opens in new window) at the foot of the page.

Page last updated: 03 Sep 2024, 09:54 AM