Around the UK Childcare vouchers I


n the April 2015 Wavelength we looked at the extra sales opportunities that Childcare


Vouchers can bring for centres offering school holiday and after school clubs. For many centres the vouchers provide additional income, while for many parents it’s a tax-efficient way of paying for child care and holiday activities. We thought this was worth another mention because it’s now easier to set your centre up to accept vouchers and centres that have done so are realising the benefits. If you’ve explored and abandoned this option before, please do think again. Childcare Vouchers are available


to most parents with children under the age of 16, who can buy vouchers direct from their salary before tax or National Insurance deductions, reducing the amount of tax they pay. They can then use the vouchers towards after school and school holiday activities


provided by organisations set up to accept them. The vouchers can be used as part or full payment for the activities. The activities that you offer need


to be for 8 to 16 year olds, but can be for any courses for which you hold RYA recognition. The three things you need to do before you can accept Childcare Vouchers are: » A key member of staff must take a two-day Paediatric First Aid course (or one-day classroom course plus an eLearning module)


» Training in the Core Common Skills (one-day classroom course or an eLearning module)


» Registration on the Voluntary Ofsted Register. It’s an easy, online form, which takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.


The rest of the requirements are implicit in your RYA recognition. A number of RYA training


centres have gone through this I Push the Boat Out


t’s less than a month away! If your club or centre is planning to run a PTBO event,


it’s time to make sure you are well prepared. This year’s event takes place


from 14-22 May, and will offer the general public opportunities to experience sailing or windsurfing through ‘have-a-go’ taster sessions at their local sailing providers. With 2015 PTBO events attracting


over 25,000 newcomers to nearly 350 locations across the UK, RYA Push the Boat Out is a great opportunity to maximise early- season demand and publicise your activities for the coming year. In terms of longer term


involvement in our clubs, last year PTBO events attracted over 2,000 individual and nearly 1,500 family club memberships. More than 3,000 people signed up for follow on activities including additional taster sessions or start sailing courses.


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The RYA has produced a range of resources to support participating venues, including the PTBO Essential Guide and Promoting Your Event Guide, so now is a great time to spread the word and build up interest ahead of your event. RYA Regional Communicators


are poised, ready to help promote your Push the Boat Out sessions through local media channels, so make sure they are aware of what your club or centre is offering. RYA Sport Development


Manager Duncan Truswell said: ‘Following the huge success of last year, RYA Push The Boat Out is a fantastic opportunity for sailing providers nationwide to promote their activities and the sport as a whole. “There is no better time to use


Push The Boat Out to promote the sport and generate interest ahead of what will be a fantastic year, from Rio 2016 to the return of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth.’ For more information visit: www.rya.org.uk/go/ptbo


process to accept Childcare Vouchers and have seen an increase in their holiday activity. Here’s what they have to say: ‘It’s definitely worthwhile. It


involves a bit of hard work initially to get everything setup, but since then we have definitely seen the return on investment of time and the fee. The vouchers have been an effective addition and accounted for approximately 19% of the holiday activity income last year. Our holiday programme has definitely grown year on year.’ ‘We have decided to invest more into the system by training more staff so our numbers can increase. Setting up the vouchers is really easy, registration is good and payment is prompt – we’re glad we did it!’ For further information and


advice, please contact dawn.seymour@rya.org.uk or amanda.vansanten@rya.org.uk


Regional contacts


For further details, CPD days, instructor courses, coach or trainer sessions, please contact the relevant person below..


EastEas 07747 563298 07747 563298


London and South EasthE 07748 804802


Midlands 07876 330136 07876 330136 North East and Yorkshir North West North West 07771 642933 South & hames V


02380 604252 South Westouth West


outh & Thames Valley 02380 604252


07876 330374 07876 330374 Northern I elan Scotland otland Wales Wales 07824 990696


Channel I 02380 604


Army 07768 925678


07768 925678 07768 988258


Nav Navy 07786 702143 07786 702143 RAFRAF Sea Cadets adets 07920 767 07920 767933 07768 988258 lIslands 02380 604252 07824 990696 Northern Ireland 07919 923 07919 923018 07771 642933


North East and Yorkshire 07747 534527


www.rya.org.uk


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