Funding for early years workforce development
Good quality care, education and play for all children in their early years raise educational standards and opportunities, and enhance children's social development.
To ensure that quality services are provided for children, a suitably qualified workforce is essential. The Government's response to the Children's Workforce Strategy consultation, published in February 2006, set out plans to establish a more professional early years workforce.
The Government has provided funding since 2006 through the Transformation Fund (£250m), and now through the Graduate Leader Fund (a further £305 million), to help transform and professionalise the early years workforce and deliver the Ten Year Strategy for Childcare.
Documents
Graduate
Leader Fund Guidelines (March 2008)
Example
of Graduate Leader Fund framework (March 2008)
Dorset County Council explain how they applied the Graduate Leader Fund
locally, using a framework, a flowchart and illustrative examples.
Example of Early
Years Professional local marketing featuring case studies (December
2008)
Leicestershire County Council have provided effective practice case studies
highlighting the benefits of gaining Early Years Professional Status for a
range of practitioners.
Childcare Implementation Project
The Childcare Implementation Project, which is scoping out the impact of the Childcare Bill, is also investigating workforce development. Local authorities may find this information useful for information about best practice.
This page was last updated on 22 December 2008
