The money is the second of three tranches of 3m in gap funding from the LDA, which has already stepped in to enable the launch of more than 30 Neighbourhood Nurseries that originally looked like they would never get off the ground. It comes in addition to 4m which the LDA is investing this year to increase childcare places across the city.
Denise Freeland, the LDA's senior childcare manager, said, 'Without this funding many of the nurseries could not open, despite New Opportunities Fund capital, due to the high cost of land and building work in London.'
Ms Freeland said the Sure Start Unit had approached the LDA earlier in the year when it was originally thought that 39 projects were in jeopardy.
She said that to date 15 nurseries had benefited from the first wave of funding in April and May. They include a 60-place workplace nursery at Carshalton Further Education College and a 64-place nursery at Mudchute Park and Farm, a 32-acre nature reserve on the Isle of Dogs.
Mudchute's community regeneration director Margaret Tracey said that an additional 50,000 from the LDA, on top of 300,000 from NOF, had gone towards the refurbishment of the existing education centre. A 26-place nursery opened on the site in April and the nursery will operate to its full 64-place capacity when the new building is completed in August.
Ms Freeland said the childcare team would work with the London boroughs to achieve a consistent approach to childcare across the capital and implement the London Childcare Strategy's proposals. 'We know affordability is the single greatest barrier for people being able to access childcare across London,' she said.
The team will look at the types of childcare available, ask what parents want and map demand against availability.
A pan-London childcare website is due to launch in April 2005 to make it easier for parents to search for services. Currently each borough has its own Children's Information Service website. Ms Freeland said, 'This can be a problem if you work south of the river for example, but live north. You might have to go through all the CIS websites to search for childcare.'