It's still early days, but setting up Ravens out-of-school club has been a rollercoaster of a ride so far.
After submitting our business plan to the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, I did not hear anything, even after sending an enquiry. We had all been so excited and hopeful. I was trying, not very successfully, to think of other ways we might be able to raise funds when the news came - we have been approved for a grant of 13,000! We're delighted and terrified.
Diana and Danny will remain in their jobs until the club starts but, now that we have funding, I have given in my notice. This will allow us some time to get everything organised.
Now our big challenges are to get our Ofsted registration in time for the club opening and, of course, getting enough children to make the club work.
According to our business plan, we need 18 children for our first year.
This is 60 per cent of the total occupancy, which will be 30.
I have been having nightmares about both of these hurdles. If we are not registered in time it means that we can only take children aged eight and over until we are, and this would impact on our numbers and our income.
Somebody suggested we take younger children for less than two hours a day.
If it looks as though we won't be registered in time I might phone Ofsted to ask if this is possible. However, it would be a messy way to start.
The three of us are meeting today to allocate the work that we need to do in the next few weeks - mostly marketing and publicity to get children on our books. As well as the after-school club, we plan to operate a weekly activity club which will run for two hours from about 6.30 to 8.30pm. This also needs to be publicised.
A personal challenge is for me to work alongside my children, who have both left home, without being too bossy or taking most of the responsibility.
Diana said, 'Mum, this is only going to work if you stop being a mother!'
All mothers know that this is impossible, but I know what she means and I'll try!
I have just had a phone call. We're having a visit from Ofsted next week - what a relief!
