A recent survey conducted by Islington Council shows that 96% of parents are satisfied with the service provided by the early years centre their child attends. <br><br>Parents of children at all of Islington Council's 13 early years centres were asked to complete a questionnaire, last summer, asking them what they thought about the service being provided by the council. They were asked to rate how satisfied they were with a number of different aspects of the service such as, how well informed you are about what goes on at the centre? and the information you receive about your child’s development? <br><br>Cllr James Kempton, executive member for children and young people said: "Our early years service continues to go from strength to strength. It has been recognised by OfSTED but more importantly, also by the parents whose children use the centres, and who trust us to provide those children with an excellent start in life. Not only do our early years centres provide a basis for our children to achieve and begin to reach and realise their full potential, but they also promote and support good parenting. By carrying out these surveys and listening to what parents think, we can continue to improve the service and provide parents and their children with an early years service that meets their needs." <br><br>Satisfaction levels were high in all areas but particularly with respect to the activities available for children, the extent to which children enjoy attending the centres and how helpful the staff were. 81.4% of parents who responded were very satisfied with the activities available for their child, compared with 73% in 2003. 96% were satisfied with how their child is cared for and 85.1% were very satisfied with how much enjoyment their child was getting from the centre, compared with 79.9% in 2003. <br><br>Parents were also invited to make comments on the service. When talking about the staff one parent said that “the staff are clearly committed to the welfare and development of the children under their care”. Another commented that “I have plenty of feedback of both how well he is getting along, as well as any unwanted behaviour and how this will be dealt with in order to change his behaviour”. When talking about the quality of the childcare and curriculum offered at their centre a parent also said that “one thing that stands out is the quality of education in all aspects that Archway [Early Years Centre] provides in a way totally geared towards young child development.”<br><br>The results will be discussed with parents, through the centre’s management groups, as part of a wider process of parent engagement. Each centre will also be drawing up an action plan to address the issues which were raised.<br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009