16.02.2025
Connected Childcare Communities
Our ‘Connected Childcare Communities’ project, funded through the National Lottery Community Fund, enables Regional Childcare Business Development Officers across Wales to support clubs to meet the needs of children, families and communities across Wales.
Out of School Childcare Clubs are often the hubs of communities, offering English, Welsh and bilingual childcare to help families improve their circumstances. They are motivated to develop and improve and passionate about providing opportunities for children to play and just be together, ensuring they provide a quality service while remaining sustainable. Clubs enable parents/carers of 45,000+ children across Wales to train, work and progress careers, improving circumstances, tackling poverty and inequalities and supporting the best outcomes for children.
With business skills mentoring, webinars (Clwb Hwbs) offering continuing professional development opportunities and support with improvement action plans, the project is achieving its aims to ensure:
- Communities in Wales are benefiting from quality services.
- Clubs will have strengthened and robust governance.
- A sustainable sector in Wales supporting children to play and families and communities to prosper.
“Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs have been an invaluable partner in helping us establish our holiday camp. We couldn’t do this process without them” Aisha, Camp Fantastic.
“Our journey from a successful After School Club to a growing Community Interest Company showcases our commitment to providing quality childcare services. With strong governance, strategic expansion and a focus on community needs. Thank you to Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids Clubs for the support!” Celyn Childcare
We can’t thank the National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players enough for supporting Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs’ continuation application to aid the Out of School Childcare Club sector across Wales.
More about our Clwb Hwbs
Free monthly Clwb Hwbs are interactive webinars, on topics informed by Clubs themselves, sometimes with expert guest speakers, which provide opportunities for collaborative thinking and continuing professional development for our Out of School Childcare Club community.
Case Studies
Read about how the Out of School Childcare Community has been strengthened through the Project in our case studies below.
- Cwtch Childcare
- Diddy Dragons
- Once Upon a Time Childcare Ltd
- Maes Bach Ltd
- Clwb Twm
- Hillside Holiday Club, Successful Registration with CIW Case Study
- Hendy Childcare
- Andi Pandi
- Camp Fantastic
- Clwb Y Ddraig Out of School Childcare Club
- Celyn Childcare: Out of School Childcare Expansion
Connecting and Supporting Out of School Childcare Clubs and Communities 2020-2023
Through our first National Lottery Community Fund Project 2020-2023 ‘Connecting and Supporting Out of School Childcare Clubs and Communities’, 3 Regional Childcare Business Development Officers across Wales worked with our Out of School Childcare Community to achieve the following:
- 98 individual action plans built on strengths;
- 2003 business skills sessions improved governance and business skills;
- 45 registrations with Care Inspectorate Wales/The Childcare Offer/ Tax-Free Childcare improved quality and affordability;
- 44 network events and collaboration with others to support the sector.
Jane O’Toole, Chief Executive Officer of Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs said:
“We would like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund for the grant award and of course thanks must go to the public who play the Lottery each week, without whom this funding and thus the project would not be possible.
Through this project we seek to support Clubs with face to face visits and business skills mentoring; help to improve the quality of play and care within Out of School Childcare Clubs through upskilling Playworkers and Managers; give better access to care and play provision; have Clubs registered with Government initiatives that improve affordability and an overall more sustainable, well governed childcare that will provide continuity of care for children.”
