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Early Years Education and Childcare

Bedford Borough Family Hubs

Parents choose childcare for a number of reasons, maybe you’re looking for work, doing a training course, or taking some time for yourself. Maybe you want your child to socialise and make friends and develop their independence away from home. Whatever the reason choosing the right childcare is an important decision for you and your child and can feel daunting. Whoever cares for your child will have a huge influence on them during the most impressionable years of their life. The thought of handing over your little one to a relative stranger is likely to make you feel a little anxious, this is perfectly normal.

Corum Family and Childcare have a useful guide to help you make the right choice and prepare yourself and your child or watch their video which helps you think about things to look for at a setting.

Below is a list of resources, advice and support available to you to guide you through the process of your child starting at childcare.

If you would like to talk to someone about our childcare options please contact the Family Information Service on:

Telephone:  0800 023 2057

E-mail: fis@bedford.gov.uk

  • What qualifications and experience do managers and practitioners have to support their work with babies/young children?

  • Are staff first aid trained?

  • What is the ratio of staff to children? How many children does each adult have to care for?

  • Will my child have a key person and who would that be (where one member of staff has the main responsibility for your child)?

  • How big or small is the setting and what is the environment like, do they have outdoor space, do their share the same values and your family?

  • Does the setting ensure every child has the same offer and equal access to learning and resources to thrive? What support do they have in place if your child needs anything extra and what do they do to support physical and emotional wellbeing?

  • How do they support each child to develop across all aspects of learning? How do they support children with additional needs?

  • What is their behaviour policy? How do they celebrate success and how will they communicate concerns?

  • Do they provide meals, snacks, nappies etc. or will I need to provide them? Is there a charge for this?

  • What is their charging policy?

Pre-schools offer care for young children to learn, develop and play. They provide care for children aged 2½ – 5 years (most take children from 2 years) which is divided into multiple daily sessions to fit around each family’s needs.

Sessions can be 3 hours in a morning or afternoon during term time only. They usually open from 9am till 3pm. Some pre-schools offer extended sessions or lunch clubs.

All pre-schools must follow the EYFS Statutory Framework for group and school based providers.

They must have a manager and a deputy as well as a keyperson approach in place to support all children and all families. A key person has special responsibilities for supporting a specific group of children and building relationships with them and their families. They will have a Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) to support all children and their families whose child has an emerging or SEND need.

Some preschools are a (pack away) setting, meaning they are working from buildings that others use such as church halls or community buildings. They must pack away all their resources at the end of the day so others can use the building too. When you contact a preschool, you can explore if they are a pack away setting or operate from a permanent building.

All preschools are registered with Ofsted. You can find each preschool’s most recent report on the Ofsted Website.

Preschools accept Nursery Education Funding (NEF) from the government to help pay for your childcare. To find a suitable preschool and learn more about funding please explore our Family Hubs – Best Start Bedford website  Early Education childcare options

Nurseries offer care for babies and young children under 5 to learn, develop and play. They offer places on a full or part-time basis and are usually open all year. Not all nurseries have the facility to take babies, so it is worth asking when you make contact.

Sessions available are often longer a than pre-school, generally between 8.00am and 6.00pm, but this will vary from setting to setting.  They may offer morning or afternoon sessions during term time; you will need to approach the nursery to find out if they offer this type of session.

All Nurseries must follow the EYFS Statutory Framework for group and school based providers

All nurseries must have a manager and a deputy and must have a keyperson approach in place to support all children and all families. A key person has special responsibilities for supporting a specific group of children and building relationships with them and their families.  They will have a Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) to support all children and their families whose child has an emerging or SEND need.

Nurseries operate from a permanent building that they either own or rent and do not pack away at the end of the day. They operate from larger buildings than preschools meaning they can employ more staff and support more children and families. Due to their higher capacity, they typically employ a room leader.  This is a person who oversees a room where children are grouped into ages. For example, a room leader would be responsible of the running of a baby room, two’s room or preschooler’s room. Rooms are not solely organised by age and most nurseries will also take account of each child’s level of development.

All nurseries are registered with Ofsted.  You can find each nursery’s most recent report on the Ofsted Website. They accept Nursery Education Funding (NEF) from the government to help pay for your childcare.

To find a suitable nursery and learn more about funding please explore our Family Hubs – Best Start Bedford website  Early Education childcare options

Maintained Nursery Schools

There are currently two maintained nursery schools in Bedford; Peter Pan and Cherry Trees.

Maintained nursery schools offer education and childcare for  children to learn, develop and play from the age of 2 to 5 years. Children can also start their Reception year in a maintained nursery school. Maintained nursery schools differ from a preschool in that they have a headteacher, qualified teachers and early years educators.  They provide term-time only education and childcare.

Maintained nurseries run sessions in line with the school day, but will offer wrap around care from 8.00am to 5.00pm.

All maintained nurseries must follow the EYFS Statutory Framework for group and school based providers.

All maintained nurseries are registered with Ofsted. You can find each maintained nursery’s most recent report under the school’s registration on the Ofsted Website.

They accept Nursery Education Funding (NEF) from the government to help pay for your childcare.

To find a suitable nursery and learn more about funding please explore our Family Hubs – Best Start Bedford website Early Education childcare options.

Registered childminders work in their own homes and offer care for babies and young children to learn, develop and play. They can provide full or part time care.  This care can be daytime, all year round, term time, before/after school, evenings, or holiday care. Childminders are often prepared to take and collect your child from a pre-school, nursery or school.  The childminder can decide what their offer is regarding availability of care.

They work alone, so are restricted into how many children they can support. However, some childminders decide to expand their care and employ a co-childminder. They will work together from the one home.

Childminders take on all the responsibilities of running their own business so they are your child’s key person who will support all children’s learning and development including children with emerging and SEND needs.

All registered childminders must follow the EYFS Statutory Framework for Childminders.

The majority of our childminders in Bedford Borough are registered with Ofsted.

Some childminders choose not to become an Ofsted registered setting and decide to become registered with a child-minding agency.

If you wish to explore a childminders latest Ofsted report, you can request this directly from the childminder.

The majority of registered childminders in Bedford Borough accept Nursery Education Funding (NEF) from the government to help pay for your childcare.

To find a suitable registered childminder and learn more about funding please explore our Family Hubs – Best Start Bedford website Early Education childcare options.

Bedford Borough Council keeps a directory of all Childminders, Nurseries and Pre-schools in Bedford Borough. Use can use this to find out more about each setting and get in contact with them.

Search the directory for a list of registered childminders.

Search the directory for a list of nurseries.

Search the directory for a list of pre-schools.