Parent Champions for Early Education and Childcare

How does it work?

Parent Champions are parent volunteers who give a few hours a week to talk to other parents about childcare and other local services available to families. Only some two year olds are eligible for free childcare, which can make it more difficult to make sure that families know about it and the benefits of childcare.

Parent Champions for early education and childcare supports parents eligible for funded childcare to find out about, engage with and access this service to improve outcomes for themselves and their children. Having accessed funded childcare themselves, Parent Champions share how the offer works and signpost to further support.

Why Parent Champions?

Parents are often more likely to trust other parents like them. Parent Champions reflect the experiences of parents that services would like to engage, for example, in a local area we might recruit Somali Parent Champions if we know that Somali families are less likely to take up services. Having a personal understanding of the complex and difficult situations families can face allows Parent Champions to share their own positive experience of local services in a relatable, trusted and informal way. They often meet with local parents at schools, children’s centres, doctor surgeries and libraries.

What are the benefits of Parent Champions for Early Education and Childcare?

• Engage with families less likely to access services
• Brings families into children’s centres and other community settings
• Increases access to funded early education for two year olds
• Volunteers gain new skills and confidence
• Improves parents’ understanding of early education

More information

To find out more information on setting up a Parent Champions scheme and how it could work in your local community, please complete the form below and we will get in touch.