Cheqdin childcare digest – november 2019

A little over a  year ago, we embarked on a journey to bring in two major modules to Cheqdin – billing and payment collection. We are pleased with how it's brought about a significant difference in the way our customers run their businesses. But, the passionate bunch we have here at Cheqdin are adamant we should not stop at that.

We have decided to incorporate more from your wish-list and give our product a major overhaul. Yes, we are bringing you the very best of all the features you currently enjoy, plus a whole host of exciting new capabilities you’ve been waiting for.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Cheqdin 2.0, which we hope to bring you as we usher in 2020!

Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect:

• An online registration platform to receive and manage your registrations and enrolment pipelines
• Interactive online bookings with flexible payment options
• Web portal access for parents with booking and payment capabilities
• Enhancements on existing parent communication and chat features
• An improved User Interface and a whole new look!

Well, that is not all. There are a few more changes we are super excited about. But we’ll be a little cheeky and stow them away for the big reveal.

Don’t forget to watch this space for more updates!

Meanwhile, here is a quick round-up of what’s been happening in the sector this month as the UK gets ready for another general election.

 UK News

General elections 2019: All parties set out with tall promises for the early years

Even as thousands of childcare providers are shutting down across the UK following funding deficits, political parties are in a race to woo working parents with promises of increased early years funding and extended free childcare. Here’s a look at the offers that are on the table as the parties wage a ‘free’ childcare ‘arms race’. Read more

New campaign urges MPs to ensure ‘free’ childcare is sufficiently funded

As the political parties one-up each other with offers for childcare funding, the Early Years Alliance has launched a new campaign to draw the attention of political parties to the impact of underfunding and ensure any offer of ‘free’ childcare is sufficiently funded. Read more

 Ofsted statistics show 97% of nurseries are still good or outstanding

Ofsted releases its latest statistics which reveal that 97% of the nurseries inspected till August were judged as good or outstanding. However, a Nursery World report suggests the trend is not likely to continue as the journey to outstanding may be harder due to an increased emphasis on the quality of education. Read more

Senator introduces longer school hours to support working parents

Californian Senator, Kamala Harris introduces a new bill to lengthen the school day to 6 p.m in a bid to support working families who cannot afford to pay for childcare. A five-year grant of $5 million will go to district elementary schools to fund extracurricular programmes and activities during the extended hours. Read more

Study suggests pre-school writing should be more about communication than letter formation

Writing instruction in early years should focus more on the communication of ideas than letter formation and penmanship, says a new study published in The Journal of Early Childhood Education. The research by the Michigan State University points out that most pre-schools focus excessively on handwriting as opposed to encouraging children to communicate their ideas through composing.  Read more

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