Since the UK-wide programme was launched in March 1999 more than 160m has been invested in out-of-school childcare by the NOF, including the latest round of grants - totalling just under 29m - announced last week.
NOFfunding has so far created new out-of-school childcare places for 370,000 children, including 50,000 created by last week's funding. The official target is 865,000 places by 2003.
Announcing the grants yesterday (Wednesday), Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, the NOF chair, said that the NOF was extending the deadline for applications for funding to enable it to allocate the full amount.
She said, 'The number of out-of-school clubs has nearly doubled since we began funding these projects in 1999. There are now more than 7,000 clubs UK-wide, over half of which have received some support from the Fund. We know that without these clubs many parents would not be able to access work or training and that they can concentrate more on the task in hand knowing that their children are safe and well looked-after.
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