Letter to families 13 September 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
Bright Stars Nursery Group Ltd
I am writing to advise you that as from 7 October 2022, East Lothian Council will not be providing funding to the Bright Stars Nursery Group Ltd for them to offer 1140 hours of early learning and childcare.
This decision applies to the company’s four settings in East Lothian: Pear Tree Church Street, Meadowpark and West Road in Haddington, and Pumpkin Patch in North Berwick. Funded places will end on 7 October 2022.
The Council’s agreement with the companies that operate these nurseries expired on 31 July 2022. The Council continued to offer funding for a period of discussion with the new owners of the companies, but has decided not to enter into a contract with Bright Stars Nursery Group Ltd and the company will not be eligible to offer 1140 hours funded by East Lothian Council.
What does this mean for you?
Funded places will not be available at Bright Stars Nursery Group Ltd settings from 7 October 2022.
The nurseries remain open and you can continue to work with the group for your child’s early learning and childcare. However you will not receive 1140 hours funding for your child.
Alternatively you can choose to move to a different setting, either with another funded partner provider or an East Lothian Council nursery. If you choose to move to a different setting please refer to your contract with Bright Stars Nursery Group to ensure you give the appropriate notice to your current setting.
Support for families
We understand that you will have questions regarding your next steps. To help you we have:
- A list on our website of other East Lothian Funded Providers who provide 1140 hours Early Learning and Childcare. If this is your preferred option, please contact the Funded Provider directly to enquire about availability.
- A list of East Lothian Council nurseries showing where spaces are available for 1140 hours funding (www.eastlothian.gov.uk/1140hours). If you wish to apply for a local authority nursery, there is an application form attached to this email with guidance completion notes. Please send your application directly to childcareinfo@eastlothian.gov.uk. In order for us to prioritise your application, please return it by 23 September 2022. We will aim to get back to you with your child’s allocated 1140 funded place by Wednesday 5 October 2022. Please note that we are unable to provide additional hours above your 1140 hours entitlement in our local authority settings.
- A dedicated email address where you can send any queries directly to our Early Years Team: childcareinfo@eastlothian.gov.uk
- Dedicated phone numbers to speak to a member of our Early Years Team from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.30am – 4.00pm: 07925 360227 or 07580 302 963.
Please be assured that we will work closely with families to minimise the disruption to 1140 hours provision.
Yours sincerely
Nicola McDowell
East Lothian Council Head of Education