Nursery World - Take twos - stretching the offer

Stretching the two-year-old offer across the year has the potential
to make life easier for children and families - and has advantages for
providers as well, says James Hempsall.

Childminders and full daycare nurseries are probably the models most likely to use a stretched approach. And this is something that parents should be made aware of when they are choosing their preferred provider. However, I would urge all types of setting to consider the business and quality case of such arrangements. Flexibility and choice will be key ways of meeting the needs of low-income working families.

Often, early learning for two-year-olds is described merely as a '15 hour per week' offer.

It is true this is the maximum time available on a free funded basis, but the entitlement is up to 570 hours per year, and this can be stretched across term and holiday periods: 15 hours x 38 weeks = 570 hours; or a reduced 12 hours per week if taken over 47.5 weeks.

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