By Anne Longfield, chief executive of Kids' Clubs Network The six-week summer holidays are nearly upon us - a time when it is easy to become wistful about childhood days of running in sun-soaked fields, playing on bikes and those nostalgic day trips to the seaside. But increasingly the reality for too many children today is very different, with summer days spent indoors watching television or wandering streets with nothing to do. There's no better place than a holiday play scheme for children to chill out and play with friends, take day trips and explore. But despite the increase in after-school provision - Kids' Clubs Network statistics show that there are now more than 10,000 clubs - there remains a major gap in holiday provision. Every summer our information line is inundated with calls from parents desperate to find safe, affordable and reliable childcare in the area. Unfortunately, the chances of them finding it is still low and if they do, it can be unaffordable with the cheapest place being 70 a week.
By Anne Longfield, chief executive of Kids' Clubs Network The six-week summer holidays are nearly upon us - a time when it is easy to become wistful about childhood days of running in sun-soaked fields, playing on bikes and those nostalgic day trips to the seaside. But increasingly the reality for too many children today is very different, with summer days spent indoors watching television or wandering streets with nothing to do.
There's no better place than a holiday play scheme for children to chill out and play with friends, take day trips and explore. But despite the increase in after-school provision - Kids' Clubs Network statistics show that there are now more than 10,000 clubs - there remains a major gap in holiday provision. Every summer our information line is inundated with calls from parents desperate to find safe, affordable and reliable childcare in the area. Unfortunately, the chances of them finding it is still low and if they do, it can be unaffordable with the cheapest place being 70 a week.
But a solution can be found - and relatively swiftly. We know that start-up funding is out there for out-of-school childcare and available from the summer through the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. So it is crucial that parents articulate their needs and crucial that all those that can help - the school, the after-school club, the local authority - respond by setting up holiday provision.
For many it's too late for this year but plans started now will mean that provision is in place for the new year and well before the long Easter and summer holidays in 2004.
We owe it to working parents to give them the reassurance of knowing their children will have treasured memories of the long school break.
