Lottery Brings New Urban Nurseries

LOTTERY BRINGS NEW URBAN NURSERIES Grants to build and renovate new nurseries are being welcomed today in areas of England in need of childcare provision. Over £234,000 has been awarded by the New Opportunities Fund's Building Neighbourhood Nurseries programme to fund the costs for three new nurseries and the development of a further three. The New Opportunities Fund, a National Lottery Distributor, has developed this childcare programme in conjunction with local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships with the specific aim of enabling young children access to good quality nursery provision. "The quality of these projects demonstrates how investing in the development of childcare provision makes a real difference to local communities," said the Chair of the Fund, Baroness Jill Pitkeathley. "These are exciting new projects, and this funding will enable them to begin closing the gaps in childcare provision particularly in disadvantaged areas." The Oaks Day Nursery in Ellesmere Port is celebrating today after receiving a £98,000 grant to create a 52-place nursery for children under five. The grant will support the complete modernisation of an existing farmhouse. "We aim to retain the wonderful characteristics of the property to make it a home away from home environment for children," said one of the nursery's owners Sue Mills. "Without funding this venture would not have been possible due to the enormous costs involved in developing children's nurseries," she added. A five-minute move from their original site and £50,000 from the Fund will enable Whizzkids Community Nursery in Birmingham to relocate and further expand their existing childcare facilities. The funding will be used to build a new 52-place nursery on unused land in Tyseley. "We could not have proceeded without this last piece of funding," said Nursery Manager, Penny Lugg. "After nine years in our current building we are really pleased to have been granted this money and look forward to moving into our new nursery." Care for Kids Limited in Mill Hill, Blackburn anticipates opening its doors for business as early as this May thanks to a grant of £70,000 from the Fund. This scheme involves the renovation and conversion of a large victorian manor house into a modern childcare facility with provision for 63 childcare places which includes 15 full places for the under-twos. In addition a further 28 places for school age children will be made available, providing a vital resource for both children and parents within the Blackburn area. Mf/... Urban nurseries...2/ "We have made links with the local college and found many teenage mothers who wish to return to study but can't because of inadequate childcare. They are among the parents we are targeting," said the nursery's owner, Michelle Newton. "This funding means we will be able to convert the property to the standard required to provide quality childcare." Grants to assist nurseries develop their capital funding schemes have also been awarded to the North Notts Nurseries Limited, Nottinghamshire for £3,600, The Cudworth & West Green Community Partnership, Barnsely for £1,405, and the Claremont House Early Years Limited also in Nottinghamshire for £11,349. Notes to editors 1. The Fund has allocated £85 million to this programme, with an additional £15 million to be made available based on demand, helping close the gap in pre-school childcare provision between affluent and disadvantaged areas. The programme aims to help more parents return to work or training, by providing money for costs such as the purchase or refurbishment of buildings and equipment. Today's grants bring the total funding awarded to over £660,000. 2. The programme is intended to complement revenue funding which the government is providing to new nurseries under the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative, worth £203 million over three years. The initiative will create at least 45,000 new day-care places in disadvantaged areas by 2004 for children from birth to school age. 3. The Fund's programme will provide grants for capital expenditure, such as new buildings, refurbishment and equipment. Only projects which have been awarded revenue funding under the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative and endorsed by their local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership will be eligible to apply for a grant from the Fund. 4. The New Opportunities Fund distributes National Lottery money to health, education and environment projects across the UK. We intend to support sustainable projects that will improve the quality of life of people throughout the UK; address the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society; encourage community participation; complement relevant local and national strategies and programmes. Funding for programmes is divided between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the basis of population weighted to reflect levels of deprivation. New Opportunities Fund Press office: 020 7211 1888 Mobile for this release: 07867 500 572 Public Enquiries Line: 0845 0000 121 Textphone: 0845 6021 659 Full details of the New Opportunities Fund programmes and grant awards are available on our website: www.nof.org.uk THE FUND'S OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS ACTIVITIES INITIATIVES ACROSS THE UK OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS LEARNING - £205 million Launched April 1999 Is available to create and develop regular out of school hours learning activities involving half of all secondary and special schools and a quarter of all primary schools around the school day, weekends and in the holidays. £25 million has been specifically dedicated to creating new summer school places for 250,000 pupils. The Fund gives priority to projects that address the needs of the most disadvantaged pupils. The programme is closed for applications except for summer schools which are due in by 3 September 2001 OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CHILDCARE - £220 million Launched March 1999 £220 million is available to create new childcare places for 865,000 children across the UK by 2003. The programme complements the Government's National Childcare Strategy, and the equivalent strategies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A further £98.5m is available for childcare projects UK-wide to extend the current programme; grants will be offered for 2 and 3 years in areas of particular disadvantage. A further £100m is available in England to Build Neighbourhood nurseries, which will support the construction and expansion of nurseries in deprived areas. Issued: Tuesday 12th March 2002 Ends PN 02-03-01 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/03/12/20020312BIT00630/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/03/12/20020312BIT00630/wkr0002.pdf