Nursery World - Making the most of summer

By Anne Longfield, chief executive of Kids' Clubs Network The six-week summer holidays are nearly upon us - a time when it is easy to become wistful about childhood days of running in sun-soaked fields, playing on bikes and those nostalgic day trips to the seaside. But increasingly the reality for too many children today is very different, with summer days spent indoors watching television or wandering streets with nothing to do. There's no better place than a holiday play scheme for children to chill out and play with friends, take day trips and explore. But despite the increase in after-school provision - Kids' Clubs Network statistics show that there are now more than 10,000 clubs - there remains a major gap in holiday provision. Every summer our information line is inundated with calls from parents desperate to find safe, affordable and reliable childcare in the area. Unfortunately, the chances of them finding it is still low and if they do, it can be unaffordable with the cheapest place being 70 a week.

There's no better place than a holiday play scheme for children to chill out and play with friends, take day trips and explore. But despite the increase in after-school provision - Kids' Clubs Network statistics show that there are now more than 10,000 clubs - there remains a major gap in holiday provision. Every summer our information line is inundated with calls from parents desperate to find safe, affordable and reliable childcare in the area. Unfortunately, the chances of them finding it is still low and if they do, it can be unaffordable with the cheapest place being 70 a week.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included