Buckinghamshire Council Early Years Service Capital Grant funding is now available to support the expansion of childcare places across the County.

What is the Buckinghamshire Council Early Years Service Capital Grant?

Buckinghamshire Council Early Years Service Capital Grant funding is intended to support providers and schools where the forecast demand for the expanded 30 hour entitlements exceeds the number of places available and are planning to develop, expand or reconfigure early years provision.

The grant is also available to support development of places in line with the National Wraparound Childcare Programme.

Priority will be made to those providers within the Opportunity Bucks Wards and those areas highlighted to have insufficient places to meet forecasted demand.

What can the grant be used for?

• Projects that enable and/or increase access to childcare places for eligible children
• Projects that adapt, re-model or improve existing childcare places to make them suitable for a wider range of needs
• Central capital works required to enable delivery of the entitlement.

These could be achieved through:

• Expansion of existing childcare provision, including expanding provision to a different or additional site
• Remodelling of existing provision to create additional capacity
• Creation of new childcare places, whether via the creation of new settings or expansion provision in existing providers

Examples of appropriate wraparound projects:

• Projects that enable the creation of new wraparound places and/or increase access to wraparound places (where suitability of space may be a concern);
• Projects that adapt, remodel or improve existing wraparound provision to make them suitable for a wider range of needs
• Purchasing fixed assets required to deliver wraparound provision.

These could be achieved through:

• Building modifications to enable use of space outside main school/setting operating hours e.g. secure external access, outside lighting to enable outdoor space to be used year round
• Building modifications to adapt space for use to deliver inclusive wraparound childcare
• Improvements to storage
• New physical assets such as a minibus purchase (to support a hub model of wraparound provision), play equipment (including outdoor play equipment), or tables and chairs. To be considered capital expenditure the asset must bring an economic benefit, and enable to be depreciated, over more than on financial year.

Please complete this expression of interest form and a member of the Early Years Team will make contact to discuss your plans.

If you don’t meet the criteria during phase 1 &2 there may be future opportunities to work with us to understand your need. We must ensure that provision is in the right place and meets parents needs

Buckinghamshire Council Early Years Service Capital Grant applicant will follow our normal grant application procedures where you will be expected to submit your project plan with full costings, financial information, budget forecasting, resources list, staffing requirements and an action plan. This will be scrutinised by a grant panel to ensure that all conditions are met.