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On Saturday 20thMarch at 10am at Bram Longstaffe Nursery School in Barrow in Furness, Cumbria County Council Vice Chairman Jim Webster will present certificates and flowers to Network Childminders. The event is to celebrate the Furness Children Come first  Childminding Network becoming an approved and accredited Childminding Network.  Parents and children in the area are assured that they have the best quality in childminding available to them through the Network.

The Network was launched in September 2002.  Children Come First is a nationally recognised quality assurance scheme for childminding networks, developed by the National Childminding Association, the Department of Employment and Skills and OFSTED.  The care provided by a Children Come First Network childminder is quality assured through regular monitoring and continuous training.  

Barrow now has the first accredited childminder in Cumbria to deliver nursery education from a home setting as a result of the network.   

Cumbria County Council Vice Chairman, Jim Webster says 

“This recognition now enables parents and children of this area to have the best childminding services that they can get, and I am delighted to be joining them with their celebrations.  Childminders have to work very flexibly to meet the needs of individual families.  Many childminders care for children outside of normal working hours, including school holidays, so parents can arrange care to suit their working patterns, even if they work shifts or part-time.  The children and parents of this area deserve high quality, flexible childcare and the Network will ensure that the children cared for by its childminders receive the very best.”

 Alexis Simons, the Network’s Co-ordinator says,

“This Children come first  Childminding Network will give parents in the Furness area access to an exciting new form of childcare and education. National Childminders Association’s approved childminding Networks offer parents the reassurance of reliable high quality accessible care in a family setting.  This is not only good news for the parents but for the children too.  I would like to thank Cumbria Early Years Development & Childcare Partnership for funding the children's gifts, Harold Preston Group for supplying a free coffee machine and all the coffee we could drink, Tesco and Morrisons for their community vouchers, Bram Longstaffe Nursery School and Denis Crooke and the fire service for being part of the event.”

Every three and four year old in Cumbria is now entitled to free part-time early education.  Many parents choose for their children to receive this education in a day nursery or pre-school.  Accredited childminders belonging to a Children Come First Network are also able to offer early years education, allowing parents another option for using their entitlement to free part-time education.

Kerry Walker, Early Years and Childcare Senior Development Worker says, 

“This is a great success which will benefit children and parents in Barrow.  Childminders in the network will offer parents the highest quality childcare and accredited childminders in the future will be able to offer free nursery education places.  This is great news for families in Barrow.” 

For more information on the Children Come First Network in Furness contact Alexis Simons on 015242 737777.