Hubs set up across North Yorkshire to look after children of key workers at weekends and bank holidays

North Yorkshire County Council has worked with schools and settings to set up small hubs, located close to hospitals across the county, which will care for pre-school and school-aged children of key workers from Good Friday (April 10). They will operate from 7.45am to 5.45pm and will continue to operate as long as they are needed throughout the pandemic.

The majority of schools in North Yorkshire are already remaining open over the Easter holidays for children of keyworkers, but the hubs will fill in gaps in childcare in the county.

The early years hubs for children 0 to 4 will begin from Good Friday and will operate seven days a week. There will be a maximum of 10 places available for pre-school children in each hub and there will be qualified early-years professionals on site.

The school hubs will run on weekends and bank holidays only, as there is expected to be sufficient cover provided by North Yorkshire schools being open during the working week. The hubs will open on Friday, April 10 for the Easter weekend and there will be a maximum of 20 places available for the 4 to 12 age range. They will be staffed by people from the existing school workforce.

Parents and carers are asked to transport their children to and from the hubs and to provide them with packed lunches.

To book a place for a child in one of the hubs, a link to the booking site can be found here, along with a list of the locations.

Parents are being asked to pre-book places, which will also help North Yorkshire County Council‘s Children and Young People’s Services establish if there is a larger demand than anticipated, so it can adjust its arrangements accordingly.

Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Service Stuart Carlton said: “We are working with schools and early years providers to put childcare in place for those critical workers who need it.

“The early-years hubs will operate seven days a week and will try to fill a gap in childcare provision which has emerged for critical workers and the schools hubs will operate during weekends and bank holidays.

“It has been a huge task to organise hubs across the county at such short notice and we would like to thank our partners in schools and the wider schools community for their work. Together we have worked to make sure the hubs will provide safe, welcoming environments for children.

“We are hugely grateful for the hard work, dedication and flexibility of all the school staff involved in making sure this happens and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to them.”

The hubs will be located at: