A mobile crèche is providing for the childcare needs of parents in rural Carmarthenshire.
Alpha Business Works, a social enterprise based in North Carmarthenshire, provides childcare including afterschool clubs and holiday schemes. Over the years they have built up considerable expertise in this area of childcare and now have a pool of trained, experienced and bilingual staff.
They have developed an innovative scheme in Carmarthenshire and cross border counties with a mobile crèche providing flexible services to meet the needs of the rural customer.
The project has received £19,001.88 in part-funding from the Axis 4 project Access to Services through Innovation through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Organisations such as Clybiau Plant Cymru, CAVS, Carmarthenshire Children’s Partnership and training providers such as Carmarthenshire County Council, WCVA, Flying Start are working in partnership with Alpha Business Works in the development of this new initiative.
Working with educational providers in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, Alpha Business Works has set up crèches in schools and children’s centres so that a variety of parenting courses can be run with parents knowing that their children are well looked after and content.
They also provide mobile crèches at weddings where they can provide a wide range of activities for all age groups while mum and dad have their wedding feast in peace and quiet.
The crèche has full professional indemnity insurance and public liability; all locations are risk assessed as the safety of the children is paramount. Equally, staff have to be qualified with enhanced Criminal Record Bureau checks and have experience of settling children in to their new setting quickly.
Fran Dixon from Action for Children said: “I’m always concerned that the children won’t return to the crèche after the break, but there was no problem at all, in fact the children were eager to return.”
Sarah Powell, who manages the project said: “We are very grateful for the support of the Rural Development Fund in helping us to establish this service. However, it is not only about making sure the kids and parents are happy, as we are a social enterprise, all the money that we make goes back into providing more staff training and development rather than to private shareholders”.
Carmarthenshire County Council executive board member for regeneration and leisure Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “This is an excellent project which is providing an excellent service for parents in rural Carmarthenshire.”
For further details please contact [email protected]
www.alphacreche.co.uk
