Resources for Childcare Providers
Below are some resources for Childcare Providers and Practitioners to support your work in Early Learning and Childcare
Families Information Service Directory
Families Information Service
We are here to help families find childcare, give information on different types of childcare and funding, as well as offer lots of useful information to parnets, including activities to do at home and in the community, guidance on parenting challenges, child development, healthy lifestyles, volunteering, returning to work and lots more.
We want to help providers promote their services to families in Nottinghamshire through our Families Information Service Directory on the Notts Help Yourself website and our Facebook Page . This is a free service but we need your help to keep your information up to date.
We receive details from Ofsted and Childminder Agencies when a new childcare business is set up in Nottinghamshire and we will you to ask for more details for your page on the directory. The resources and links below will guide you through how you can keep your information on Notts Help Yourself updated.
If you don't have a Sign In for Notts Help Yourself
How to register for a sign in using a computer
How to register for a sign in using a mobile device [coming soon]
Updating Your Childcare Record on Notts Help Yourself
Recruitment and Advertising Resources
Early Childhood Services have produced a guidance document for Recruiting to Early Years vacancies. It covers topics such as where to advertise, the advert, resoureces to support your recruitment, using social media, creating video adverts.
Click on the image to open the guidance document
Click the image to open this leaflet on a career in Early Learning and Childcare
Childcare funding promotion
Childcare Funding Leaflets
The Families Information Service team have produced some colourful A5 leaflets to promote the main childcare funding schemes. You can download these here to share with parents through websites and social media.
Tax-Free Childcare
Eligible parents with children under 12 can get up to £2,000 per child, per year, towards their childcare costs (or up to £4,000 for disabled children under 17)
Parents open an online account and for every £8 they pay into the account the govenment tops this up with £2.
Tax-Free Childcare can be use alongside:
- 15 hours free childcare
- 30 hours free childcare
But can't be used with the following:
- Universal Credit
- Tax Credits
- Childcare Vouchers (closed to new entrants)
Providers can only receive Tax-Free Childcare payments if you’ve signed up to Tax-Free Childcare.
Information for providers about Tax-Free childcare can be found in this guide on top things you need to know:
Information for parents about Tax-Free childcare can be found in this guide on top things parents need to know about tax-free childcare and 30 hours free childcare:
Activities
Here are some activity packs produced by Babylab Oxford Bookes University. Click on the images below to open either The colourful chalk, talks and walk pack, or The not-too-messy animal play pack
Health Promotion
Healthy Start Card Scheme
Childcare and Healthcare professionals play a key role in signposting to the Healthy Start online application and promoting the free Healthy Start vitamins.
Click the image to open this guide
Healthy Eating Resources for Early Years
Visit the Childhood Obesity Trailblazer Project pages to find some Healthy Eating Resources to support Early Years Settings.
Early Years Oral Health Resources
Activities, games and guidance for professionals to use with your 2-5 year olds. Why toothbrushing is so important and why teaching children at a young age is so important.
Click the image to open this resource
Bedtime or baby teeth
Good night guide to healthy smiles and smooth bed times.
Click the image to open this resource
Children's Healthier Eating Toolkit
This toolkit contains ten different activities to help you support families to make positive changes to their diet, with a particular focus on making healthier swaps.
Activities are easy to run with children aged 4-11, with some activites suitable for children as young as 2, and require minimal preparation and no expert knowledge.
Click the image to open this resource
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Help for Early Years Providers
A new set of guidance, practical support and resources for childminders, nursery leaders and pre-school practitioners to help deliver the new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Guidance: Progress check at age 2
The Department for Education (DfE) has published a guidance document to provide support for early years practitioners when completing the progress check at age two. This non statutory guidance will help all early years prac titioners working with children between the ages of two and three to make an accurate assessment of a child’s development and work closely with parents and other professionals to put in place appropriate support and intervention where it is needed.
Birth to 5 Matters
Birth to 5 Matters has been developed by the Early Years Coalition, composed of 16 early years sector organisations to provide guidance to early years professionals on how to support children's progress toward all the statutory EYFS Early Learning goals. You can read the guidance document here and also find out more on the website https://birthto5matters.org.uk/
Start Talking Together
Start Talking Together is our Speech, Language and Communications Needs resource for parents, with a practitioners page for early years practitioners.
Ofsted inspections: what EY providers and practitioners need to know
Guidance for Early Years Providers, Childminders and Early Years in schools about what to expect in an Ofsted inspection can be found:
Ofsted inspections: what EY providers and practitioners need to know
For Registered Early Years Providers
Early Years child development training from the Department for Education is a free online 10 module course designed by experts to provide an overview of child development and gives practical advice for supporting the development of children in early years settings.
Supporting Bereaved Children in the Early Years
This webinar on supporting bereaved children in early years settings took place in May 2021and was aimed at frontline practitioners, including nursery workers, managers and childminders.
More resources to support your work with children can be found on the Early Years pages of the Anna Freud NationalCentre for Children and Families website.
Keeping Children Safe
Button Batteries
Guide to help keep your little ones safe:
Choking Prevention
There is a food safety page on the Help for Early Years Providers online platform that has guidance on how to reduce the risk of choking for children age 5 and under.
The Food Standards Agency have produced two choking prevention posters for Early Years. Click on the images below to open the posters:
Early Years Choking Hazards Poster
Early Years Choking Hazards Table
Working with OHID’s Start4Life campaign to promote choking awareness via their website www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/safe-weaning/choking/
Staying safe in hot weather
This Beat The Heat document will tell you how to stay safe in hot weather, including how to keep your home cool. It tells you who is at greatest risk of ill health from the heat, how to recognise when you or someone’s health may be affected, and what to do if you or someone else becomes unwell as a result of the heat. It is a useful guide for parents and carers.
Click the image to open this resource
Click the resource for the 'Beat the Heat' Poster
The Lullaby trust has advice around Temperature and how to avoid letting your baby get too hot.
Click the image to open this resource
Nottinghamshire County Council Advice for Early Years settings during a heatwave
Childcare Sufficiency
The council has a statutory duty to produce an annual Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) to identify the availability and sufficiency of childcare in their area. This information is made available to parents and elected members.
You can download the latest report by clicking on the below link:
CORAM Family and Childcare Trust Holiday Childcare Costs Survey 2022
Foreign Language Resources
Notttinghamshire County Council has developed resources to support people affected by the invasion of Ukraine and for Local communities who have opened up their homes to people fleeing from Ukraine.
Please click the link below:
Support for Ukraine | Nottinghamshire County Council
Voice of Children is a Ukraine-based Charity Fund that provides psychological and psychosocial support to children and parents who suffered as a result of war operations in Ukraine.
Together with Twinkl they have created a collection of resources. The ‘Living Together in Peace’ resources will inspire children around the world to express themselves about the importance of global peace and show their solidarity to all children living through war and crisis by creating their own Messages of Hope! These collections of materials have been created to support the work of the charity, families who suffered as a result of the war operations, and anyone in need. These packs are easily accessible for FREE and all mental health and art therapy resources have been approved and recommended by the Foundation’s psychologists.
Click here to register and download for free: Voices of Children Ukrainian Dual Language Resources (twinkl.com)
Unicef have created infosheets available in multiple languages with the basics of feeding and responding to your baby. With straightforward language and simple illustrations to aid understanding.
Equality and Diversity
This is a calendar of events celebrating equality and diversity with dates for 2022 and links to resources to help celebrate.
Supporting you to raise anti-racist children
Laura Henry-Allain, author of 'Jo-Jo and Gran-Gran', supported by Matel, has written a booklet to give parents simple advice on how to have conversations with their children about being anti-racist.
Click here: Supporting_you_to_raise_antiracist_children or on the image to open the booklet
Celebrating Black History
Resources, activities, and tips for families to explore and uplift Black History, heritage and culture
Research
New Pathways for Young Fathers: Young Father's Voices
This illustrated booklet is aimed and professionals who work with and support young fathers, but the experiences shared by the young fathers in the booklet are aimed at other young fathers. The booklet gives insight into the employment. education and training aspirations of young fathers and how this can impact on their health and well-being. Click on the cover to read the full booklet.