Childcare professionals from across the area have shared good practice and explored new ideas at an annual conference hosted by the Vale of Glamorgan Council supported Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.
‘Sparkle’ was the theme of the event at Ysgol Gyfun Bro Morgannwg in Barry, and childminders, play workers and day care and pre-play practitioners were eager participants in a range of workshops and activities. Much of the focus was on the implementation of the Welsh Assembly’s Foundation Phase covering learning for children from the age of three to seven.
Delegates were also able to seek professional advice via information stands manned by professional bodies, such as the National Child Minding Association, and local bodies such as the Vale council’s Family Information Service which is a one-stop shop for families requiring a variety of information from childcare to ante-natal clinics.
The conference, which proved what a wealth of local expertise the Vale is lucky enough to support, was opened by Teresa Beane, the Vale’s associate adviser for the Foundation Phase, and closed by local storyteller Amanda Rackstraw.
Gill Munro, Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership chair, said: “The event was very successful and of great value to the childcare professionals. The EYDCP is aware that there are still some gaps in childcare provision for children and young people across the Vale of Glamorgan and that is why an event like this is so important and valued. We have to invest in the care of our children.”
