We carry out regular sufficiency assessments. The aim of these assessments is to identify gaps in the market so that we can plan to secure sufficient childcare and early years places. Sufficient childcare means having the right type and volume of provision to enable parents/carers to be economically active. Sufficient early years provision is ensuring that families can access their free early years entitlement.

We allocate the Oxfordshire Early Years and Childcare Sufficiency Funding Programme to support childcare providers in all sectors, voluntary, private and maintained, working to meet the childcare sufficiency aims and criteria (.pdf format 24 KB).

There are two grants within the programme:

Developing New Childcare Places Grant

Available to new providers or existing providers that wish to extend their business to include a new type of provision- for example, an after school club wishing to create a new holiday playscheme. This is a start-up grant to help with running costs during the first year.

Securing or Developing Existing Places Grant

Available to existing providers where there is a need to implement changes to succeed as a business and/or meet local needs.

How to apply

If you would like more information or wish to apply for a grant please contact Community Childcare and Play or telephone 01865 323772.

Partners

Sometimes Community Childcare and Play are looking for partners to work with to meet an identified childcare need.

Current opportunity

Name of opportunity: Provision of Funded Early Years Places for 2, 3 +4 year old Children in Blackbird Leys, Oxford ward

Details: To provide places for 2, 3 + 4 year old children, resident in the Blackbird Leys, Oxford Ward. Places to be funded by Oxfordshire County Council and to be provided free of charge to parent/carers, from September 2012 at the latest. Further information and specification (pdf format, 359 KB).

Deadline: Complete and return expression of interest form no later than 16 March 2012.

How to apply: Save the expression of interest form (pdf format, 77 KB) to your PC by right-clicking the link and choosing "save target as" or "save link as" depending on your browser.

Open the form up, complete it and save your changes and either email it to farzana.hussain@oxfordshire.gov.uk or post to:

Farzana Hussain, Project Coordinator - Two year old Entitlement
School Organisation & Planning
Education & Early Intervention
Children, Education & Families Directorate
County Hall
Ground Floor
New Road
Oxford
OX1 1ND