Emergency childcare in Rhondda Cynon Taf will significantly increase from June, the council has confirmed.
From the beginning of June Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has said it will be increasing the number of hubs from 13 to 25 in response to the ever-increasing demand for key workers and vulnerable learners.
Since the schools were closed, the council has been operating 13 childcare hubs to help key workers who are parents or carers of pupils in the area.
Key workers must reapply for the provision each week via the council’s website, with an initial application only required for vulnerable learners.
Weekend provision is also available for key workers.
The weekly application period runs from Sunday morning to Tuesday evening for the following week’s childcare provision, and each period is promoted by the council using its social media accounts.
How will it work?
From Monday, June 1, the council will increase the number of its hubs to 25 (including 19 mainstream hubs, four special schools and two Pupil Referral Units).
The application period will run from Sunday morning to Tuesday evening (May 24 to 26) as normal.
The changes are being put in place to help the increase in pupils accessing the provision, which has recently risen to an average of 420 children per day.
From June 1 there will also be a hub in each of the 17 mainstream school clusters in Rhondda Cynon Taf, while emergency childcare will also be available in each of the council’s four special schools and two Pupil Referral Units.
Welsh Medium provision will be available at four of the settings, and Faith provision at two hubs.
Two of the hubs will also offer bi-lingual provision.
The expansion will ensure the council can manage pupil numbers more effectively, and allow social distancing within the hubs to be achieved more easily.
Travelling distances for parents and carers will also be reduced.
Councillor Joy Rosser, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Inclusion Services, said: “Our 13 current childcare hubs are providing an excellent provision to help local key workers carry out their frontline roles, along with parents of vulnerable young people.
"The staff running these hubs have played a crucial role in the collective effort, as our communities respond together to the coronavirus national emergency.
“I welcome the expansion of the emergency childcare provision from June 1, which will see 25 hubs operating in total – including provision in each of the 17 school cluster areas, four special schools and two Pupil Referral Units, while Welsh Medium and Faith provision will be increased.
"This will undoubtedly provide further help to parents and carers across the county borough at this time.”
