Some of Liverpool’s childcare hubs which are looking after the children of key workers are to extend their opening hours from Monday 6 April.
The Children’s Hub model is kept under constant review so it is responsive to the level of demand and meets the need of the city’s critical key workers.
Starting next week, nine hubs will be open from 7am – 7pm to provide extended support for parents.
They are:
· Springwood Heath, Danefield Road, Allerton
· Mosspits Primary, Mosspits Lane, Wavertree
· Rudston Primary, Rudston Road, L16
· Woolton Primary, Out Lane, L25
· Holy Name Catholic Primary, Mosspits Lane, Fazakerley
· St Oswald’s Catholic Primary, Montague Road, Old Swan
· St Nicholas Catholic Primary, Orthes Street, L3
· St Paul’s Catholic Junior School, Spring Grove, L12
· Our Lady Immaculate Primary School, Northumberland Terrace, L5
Some hubs will be open on Good Friday and Easter Monday and – subject to demand – throughout the school Easter Holidays.
Due to reduced usage of some hub sites, the number is being rationalised again and the following changes are being implemented from next Monday:
· St Paul’s Infants relocated to St Paul’s Junior, Spring Grove, L12
· Hunts Cross Primary School relocated to Hunts Cross Nursery, Kingsthorne Road, L25
The following five hubs will cease to operate from Monday, due to low numbers:
· Abercromby Nursery School
· East Prescot Nursery School
· Everton Nursery School
· Holy Cross Primary School, L3
· Faith Primary School, L5
The full list of hubs is available at www.liverpool.gov.uk/childcarehubs
Meanwhile, the council has secured an additional two weeks’ worth of food vouchers to distribute to families on free school meals to cover the Easter Holiday period, which will again be available from their nearest children’s centre and redeemable at a number of supermarkets.
From 20 April, Liverpool’s schools will be implementing the national scheme for children on free school meals, which they will contact parents about.
Director of Education, Steve Reddy said: “We are keeping our list of childcare hubs under constant review because the demand for each of them is changing and it does not make sense to keep those with low numbers open.
“I am pleased that we have been able to extend the hours of some of the hubs, providing some much needed additional support to parents of key workers who start work early or whose shift does not finish until the early evening.
“I would like to pay tribute to the staff at the hubs who are providing a vital lifeline for parents who are key workers and enabling them to continue carrying out valuable jobs that are essential to keeping the city moving at this time.
“My appeal to parents is to continue to only take their child to a hub if they are on the list of key workers and they have no other childcare available to them.
“In addition, we will be distributing more free school meal vouchers through our children’s centres to make sure parents are able to access food for their children over the Easter holidays.”
