Grant Boosts Rural Child Care

More cash from the Government is set to creatre much-needed childcare vacancies in country areas of NI.

The Childminding Association (NICMA) hopes to create 400 extra childcare places in rural communities, after a Department of Agriculture and Rural Development grant. The charity has been awarded £173,000 through the Department's Rural Childcare Programme.

It is for a pilot scheme aimed at recruiting and supporting up to 150 new registered childminders in 15 rural areas throughout Northern Ireland.

Maeve Milne, NICMA's Project Co-ordinator for the programme, said the scheme provides a valuable opportunity to help tackle the shortage of suitable childcare in many rural districts.

"We certainly believe the project will make a significant difference in the areas which we're targeting.

"We know many people in rural communities find it very difficult to access quality childcare which suits their needs," she said.

"For many parents, the shortage of childcare is a real barrier to being able to take a job."

In a survey commissioned by NICMA and carried out by Ipsos MORI, 43% of rural parents who’d recently sought childcare said they had found it difficult or impossible to find childcare, compared to 28% in urban areas.

In addition to creating hundreds of childcare places, the project will also offer a comprehensive programme of professional support and training for the new childminders.

"Many newly-registered childminders leave the profession within the first year and lack of business know-how is undoubtedly a factor," explained Maeve.

"The support and training offered by this programme will equip our new recruits with the business skills and professional know-how they need to succeed.

"That's important because we want to create sustainable, high-quality childcare places which parents can depend on," she commented.

The charity will also be working to persuade new childminders to be flexible in their approach to the hours they're prepared to work.

"Rural parents often have to commute long distances," said Maeve. "That means they need childcare which is available for longer than the traditional 9 to 5 day.

"To some extent, it's about encouraging childminders to be prepared to 'think outside the box'.

"So, for instance, we might suggest to one childminder that they team up with a colleague to offer five longer days a week between them, if they don't want to do it individually."

The pilot scheme will be running until March next year and NICMA hopes that the pilot will help to influence and develop future rural childcare strategies.

More information is also available on NICMA's website: www.nicma.org

(BMcC/GK)