EDUCATION, employment and training company, Prospects, has been selected by Hampshire County Council to deliver improvement support to early year providers from April.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to offer support to early years providers that are judged, by Ofsted, to be ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’.

As part of Hampshire’s Improvement Support Programme, Prospects will work with childminders and private, voluntary and independent nurseries and pre-schools.

Prospects will provide individually tailored support delivered, face to face, by telephone and digitally in order to help providers improve the quality of education and care for pre-school age children.

The company was selected after a robust tendering process and has been awarded a one-year contract with the option to extend for a further year.

The existing range of services to childminders and group settings with the current organisations – the Professional Association for Early Years (PACEY) and Children’s Links – will continue until March and all three companies will work during the spring term to ensure a smooth transfer of services.

Councillor Peter Edgar, executive member for education at Hampshire County Council, said: “We have a good track record for ensuring children at a young age are ready for school and for learning, enabling them to make good progress at school.

“The service that Prospects will deliver to Hampshire’s childminders and early years settings will complement the range of support that Hampshire County Council’s services for young children offers. The organisation will be required to build on the good work of the previously commissioned services of the Professional Association for Early Years (PACEY) and Children’s Links.”

John Theedom, Prospects director of early years, added: “We are delighted Hampshire County Council has chosen us to support the delivery of high quality pre-school and childminding provision and to help improve education and childcare, from the youngest age for children in the county.

“We look forward to working with early years providers, through our personalised advice, coaching and mentoring, to support them to ensure every child is given the best possible start in life through their early years experiences.”