Cheqdin Childcare Digest - June 2019

A Mighty Big Announcement from Cheqdin.

For all our dear customers and childcare providers who have been struggling with manual reconciliations for invoices, we have some good news (awesome news, in fact)! We are teaming up with leading online payment processor, GoCardless to bring you a solution for your direct debit reconciliation woes.

We have taken your requests on board and come up with an intelligent new invoicing system that is custom-made for nurseries and out of school clubs. The new system will let you collect and reconcile your recurring and variable direct debit payments automatically, meaning, you can bring down the staff hours spent on checking payment information against bank records for consistency.

Our system will auto-fetch the payment information for each child to your dashboard and help you track the status of individual payments. You will also have the payment summary and opening balance of each child displayed on your dashboard, allowing you to follow up underpayments or late payments without delay.

We are immensely proud to say Cheqdin is the first SaaS platform in the UK and Europe to launch a fully-automated direct debit payment and reconciliation solution that is tailored for childcare providers. Our team is now hard at work, adding the final flourishes before we unveil the module to you in all its glory. We'll be out with the launch soon. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the big reveal!

UK News

Now that we have made the big announcement, here’s a quick look at what’s been happening in the industry this month.

Funding crisis drives a majority of  UK nurseries to cut back on staff training

According to a recent workforce survey by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), more than 50% nurseries say they will spend less on CPD and training for staff this year, citing inadequate Government funding and squeezed budgets. With higher costs, and underfunding taking its toll on nursery budgets, a majority of early years providers are forced to cut costs on training their workforce. Read more.

Ofsted reports reveal 97% of nurseries are Good or Outstanding

Ofsted’s latest childcare statistics reports are out. And the good news is - 97% of the nurseries inspected recently were judged to be Good or Outstanding. As Purnima Tanuku, Chief Executive of NDNA said, it is indeed highly impressive that the vast majority of nurseries have been offering very high-quality provision despite the shortage of funds and rising business costs. Read more.

The UK Government to face High Court over Special Needs funding

A landmark case has been filed against the UK Government by families of children with special needs and disabilities. Parents of children with special education needs are challenging the government's approach on SEND funding in a 2-day hearing scheduled for the 26^th and 27^th of June. The families argue the government is leaving the local authorities incapable of fulfilling their legal obligations of providing these children with the support they need. Read more.

Millie's Mark launches in Scotland

Millie’s Mark, the gold standard in paediatric first aid, makes its way to Scotland. The quality endorsement scheme is expected to open up a great opportunity for childcare providers to improve their safety standards and ensure 100% of their staff are confident in administering paediatric first aid. However, what remains to be seen is the level of uptake for the voluntary scheme as nurseries continue to struggle for funds.

Peter Pan author’s home to become Scotland’s first National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling

Peter Pan author, J.M Barrie’s childhood home has opened its doors as Scotland’s first national centre for children’s Literature and Storytelling. The Georgian property in Dumfries will offer themed interactive exhibits including the original Tinker Bell and a 6-feet tall dollhouse modelled on a nearby Georgian house. The centre will explore new multi-sensory methods of immersive story-telling to encourage young children to develop an interest in reading and story-telling. Read more.

From Around the World

Pre-schoolers who watch TV sleep less, says new study

TV use by pre-schoolers can affect the quality and duration of sleep, reveals a recent study by neuroscientist Rebecca Spencer, PhD, and developmental science graduate student Abigail Helm of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The study comes at the heel of the new WHO guidelines, which calls for a complete ban of screen time for 1-year olds and a screen-time restriction of one hour for 2-4-year-olds. Read more.

UNICEF to scale up action against bullying and cyberbullying in schools

UNICEF Assistant Secretary-General Petri Gortnitzka called for a recommitment to protect children from all forms and violence and bullying at the World Anti-Bullying Forum in Dublin. United Nations member states have now taken up the issue of bullying and violence as a global priority as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and UNICEF has placed it at the core of its work, said Gortnizka. Teachers, parents, academics and policymakers from around the world met at the event held in Dublin from June 4-6. Read more.

Don’t forget to visit the Cheqdin blog for more product updates, news and stories from around the industry.