Subject: Bright Start Nursery Proposed Closure

Deputation referred from Council held on the 15 December 2022

Date of meeting: 9 January 2023

Ward(s) affected: All

For general release

1. SUMMARY AND POLICY CONTEXT:

1.1 To receive the following Deputation which was presented at the Council meeting held on the 15 December 2022.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS:

2.1 That the Committee either note or call for an officer report.

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND INFORMATION

3.1 The following deputation was presented at the Council meeting held on the 15 December 2022 by Caroline Jany:

Thank you for inviting us to speak on a topic that is very close to our hearts.

Earlier this month we discovered that Bright Start Nursery was being considered for closure. This was devastating news to all parents, staff and surrounding communities. Therefore, the following petition was made which has now reached above 1300 signatures.

Let me explain a few reasons why Bright Start is so special to our city.

*Staff specialist knowledge and training in dealing with children with complex disability, medical and educational needs*. It is very difficult to find this training in any other nursery in Brighton.

Currently the nursery caters for children with the following needs:

o Children with Type 1 Diabetes - one parent said she tried 8 nurseries before finding this one which is perfect. The closure of this nursery will have a huge negative impact to her son and therefore to her family.

o Children suffering with Autism

o Children suffering with Seizures

o Children with other special educational needs (SEND)

Bright start staff are long term members – other nurseries have a high turnover of staff. This is not the case for Bright Start which has a huge positive impact to our children.

*Supporting families of low income households.*

o A quarter of the children come from low income households and

o Further children are from refugee families

*Diverse and multi lingual*

o The Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS)have stated that Bright Start is the most diverse nursery in Brighton, with families and staff speaking multiple languages.

o The nursery had a recent council run ‘stickman’ specialist event, where the story was read in English, French and Arabic - to cater for the Arabic community lead by Christine Boothe and translator Eman.

*Community*

There is a large community attached to the nursery of present attending families, past attending families, local businesses and the North Laine Community Association (NLCA). For example the following local businesses have/had their children attend the nursery.

•the owner of the local pub the king and queen

•Infinity foods employees

•Nearby GPs and NHS staff

•American Express employees

•Kimberly Clark employees

•University of Brighton (grand parade) staff

•Pronta Print and other local print and graphic design agencies.

•and many more.

*Location, facilities, timings and cost*

•The only North Laine City Centre childcare available

•A great outdoor space which is often not available in other nurseries

•Baby room contains a quiet sleep area, other rooms have great space availability

•Care available from 8am-6pm for both term time and holiday periods

•Affordable pricing

•Acceptance of childcare vouchers and schemes

*Our Ask:*

Before making such a large decision of closure hastily, please kindly consider looking into other options for the nursery.

*Building costs*

Some letter responses from counselors have stated that the building renovation costs are equivalent to £50k. Are you able to provide us with the detail on this? Quotes from relevant contractors? If you are unable to provide us with this can we send in our own specialists to provide us with quotes?

Would the council be willing to receive a grant or donations for the building costs? And if so would the nursery still have enough funding to keep running?

Could another central venue be used?

*42 nurseries*

It has also been stated there are 42 other childcare options. Can you please provide us with a list of those nurseries? From our own personal research, none are so central, have the same facilities or even have any available spaces, waiting lists can be very long.

*Date of closure*

If closure of the nursery is required, please can you kindly consider the impact to the children. Particularly those who will be starting school in September.

Rather than having a closure date of April 2022, please consider extending it to August/September 2022, to avoid children having alternative care just for a few months.

Thank you for listening, for those of you that are parents, you will understand the detailed effort you would undertake for your own children’s care, safety and education. To make sure they feel loved and cared for.

Children with good childcare has an exponential effect to their development as an adult. Our Brighton children are the future of our city, if we prioritize their care we can ensure a greater future for our very much loved city.

Extract of the minutes of Council to follow