The first phase of the West Yorkshire city's children's centre programme, set to be completed by May, will see 23 children's centres servicing families in the city's most disadvantaged wards.
The council plans to open a further 43 children's centres - 23 in the 30 per cent most disadvantaged areas by 2008 and 20 in the 70 per cent more advantaged areas by 2010. The council said that by 2010, it is likely that 'one in every four to six' primary schools will have a children's centre functioning on site. The remaining schools will be developing 'flexible childcare services as part of the children's centre hub delivery point'.
Andrea Richardson, quality and standards manager for the council's early years service, last week told Nursery World that over the past six years there had been an expansion in the 'mixed market economy of childcare provision' within the private, voluntary and maintained sectors in Leeds.
She said that nursery education classes attached to schools have experienced falling roles, partly because of the expansion of other provision giving working parents more flexibility.
She said, 'From a purely practical viewpoint, it makes sense to build these services together. Working parents want to be able to leave their children in one location, rather than having to move them halfway through the day.
'Also, it fits in with the Government's nought-to-five agenda and the extended schools agenda. We also have a buoyant buildings agenda for new schools under the Buildings for the Future programme and investment from Leeds City Council.'
In 2004, the council's early years service was awarded beacon status by the Government for the quality of its provision.
Last April the council was awarded a capital grant of 6.7m and a revenue grant of 7.5m to develop integrated children's centres for 2006-2008.
