Good Idea: Mobile phone app to help parents find childcare

Provider Pre-school Learning Alliance
Name Choosing Childcare
Summary The Pre-school Learning Alliance has ?created a free app that allows parents in England to find Ofsted-registered childcare near their homes

For parents moving to a new area or for those who are returning to work after the birth of their child, good quality, local childcare is a primary consideration.

To help parents struggling to find settings close to them, the Pre-school Learning Alliance, with support from Danone Baby Nutrition, has developed a free mobile phone app, which helps parents make informed decisions about where to place their ?children.

Using the phone’s GPS, the app allows parents to click on points on the map, which represent nurseries registered with Ofsted. Clicking on the pinpoint brings up the setting’s contact details, Ofsted report and the best route to get there from their home.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the charity, says: “Parents should be given every opportunity to make informed decisions when choosing childcare for their children. A large part of that relates to not just the location of the early years setting, but also to its quality.

“We have developed this app to make it easier for parents to be better informed and use independent assessments of the quality of local childcare available.”

The resource also includes a Parent Zone, which offers advice on how to choose the right childcare, with a number of ?questions parents should ask when they visit a setting and information about the settling-in process when a young child starts daycare.

It also gives tips on healthy eating, from the Infant and Toddler Forum’s 10 Steps for Healthy Toddlers ?initiative.

Daniel Ayeni, a father of two young children from south London, said: “It’s a valuable tool if you are looking for childcare or are moving into a new area as it provides up-to-date information at your fingertips.”