Applications for York play projects invited

Community groups are invited to apply to City of York Council’s Better Play Grant, which provides funding to organisations that deliver play opportunities for children and young people in York.


In the new financial year, £87,000 will be shared between projects of between one and three year’s duration, and which address the priorities highlighted in the York Taking Play Forward policy. In the current Community Play programme, four organisations are delivering projects until the end of March 2015.

To qualify, applicants for the 2015-18 funding must be a constituted voluntary organisation, or a community organisation with policies and operating procedures in place which are appropriate for working with children and young people. Successful applicants will also be required to register their organisation on the YorOK Service Directory.

Anyone wishing to talk through a project or idea in more detail before applying can contact Tim Waudby on 01904 553426 email: tim.waudby@york.gov.ukor Mary Bailey 551812 email: mary.bailey@york.gov.uk
Application forms and guidance can be down loaded from www.yor-ok.org.uk/play and must be submitted before the deadline of 13 March 2015.

Free childcare places available in York

Parents of toddlers in York are being reminded to check out whether they’re eligible for free childcare.

From 1 January over 585 two-year-olds in York are eligible for up to 15 hours of free childcare a week at a playgroup, day nursery or with a childminder as part of a national initiative.

Parents, who earn no more than £16,190 a year and receive Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credit or Income Support, could be eligible for a free childcare place. Two-year-olds, who are looked after by the council automatically qualify for a place.

Since September 2014, children with special educational needs, those who have been adopted or with a residency/special guardianship order also qualify for a place.

The free places are available to children who are two years of age and whose parents fulfil the criteria. The places can be taken up the term after the child’s second birthday.

Parents can apply on line at www.yor-ok.org.uk/childcare or to find out more call the Family Information Service on 01904 554444 or text ‘’free place’ to 07624 802244.

New childcare hubs for York

Parents in York will find it even easier to find childcare to fit their needs thanks to a new national pilot scheme to create childcare ‘hubs’.

Ten Community Childcare and Early Learning Hubs have been set up across the country by childcare charity 4Children, on behalf of the Department for Education, four of which are in York.

The Hubs consist of a variety of early years settings and schools all working together in a local area to achieve three goals – improving quality, offering blended childcare to parents and supporting the provision of new childcare places as required.

Adoption success in York

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Thanks to the efforts of social workers in York and adoptive parents across the country there are currently no children and young people from York waiting for adoption.

Because the council’s area is geographically small, York children needing adoption are placed outside York by City of York Council’s Adoption Team and approved adoptive parents in York are matched with children from across the country. Mary McKelvey, Adoption Service Manager, stressed that this arrangement means that there are still lots of children from outside the city – particularly siblings and children over the age of three – who are looking for loving homes.

She explained: “It’s great news that we don’t have any children from York who are waiting to find permanent loving homes at present. This is down to the hard work of the social work teams in York and adoptive parents across the country with whom we have placed children. However, there are hundreds of children across the country who are still waiting to be adopted and I would urge anyone considering adoption to get in touch to find out more.”

For more information on adopting in York visit www.york.gov.uk/adoption, call 01904 553525 email adoption@york.gov.uk or visit ‘Adoption and Fostering York’ on Facebook

Boost for children in York

Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news that nurseries, childminders and other early years providers in York are set for a £103,330 cash boost to help three and four-year-olds from disadvantaged families.

Lib Dems say the extra investment could help close York’s ‘attainment gap’ – the difference in education performance between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.
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Nearly 6,000 York pupils to get free school lunches

Local Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news that in total 5,819 children in York will benefit from the introduction of universal Free School Meals when term begins next week.

All reception, year 1 and year 2 pupils will now get their meals paid for under the scheme, which was first announced by the Liberal Democrats in 2013.

Although some children previously qualified for school meals, some do not take them due to the stigma, and others who don’t qualify struggle to afford them.

Research and pilot schemes in places such as Durham and Wolverhampton show that introducing universal free school meals leads to positive improvements in health, attainment and social cohesion, as well as helping families with the cost of living.

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“10 minute shake up” comes to York

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Change4Life and Disney are partnering on a major new campaign – 10 Minute Shake Up – to help encourage the city’s children to get active this summer.

The 10 Minute Shake Up campaign uses a bit of Disney magic to inspire children to reach the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with fun, manageable 10 minute bursts of exercise with an aim of getting children across the country moving for an extra 100 million minutes this summer.
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