The Derbyshire Early Years and Childcare Partnership is celebrating after scooping a national award for the second year running.

The Partners in Excellence Award 2002 recognises the partnership's outstanding achievements in creating childcare opportunities for older children across Derbyshire. The award comes from the Department for Education and Skills and the Daycare Trust.

More than 1,000 after-school and holiday places have been created for 10 to 14 year-olds after the partnership was awarded £482,831 from the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund.

The partnership teamed up with borough and district councils, the county council's Youth Service, secondary schools and voluntary organisations to set up the childcare projects.

Start-up funding has been provided on the basis that the schemes will become self-funding in subsequent years.

The partnership has also set up schemes in disadvantaged areas of the county after receiving £1.9m from the Government's Children's Fund to tackle child poverty and social exclusion.

Last year, the partnership was awarded a Partners in Excellence Award in the rural solutions category for initiatives to ensure families living in isolated communities had access to a range of childcare, toy libraries, breakfast, after school and holiday clubs.

Councillor Bob Janes, partnership chairman, said: "Credit is due to a whole range of people involved in the partnership and we are delighted that they have received recognition for their work.
"We feel the Derbyshire partnership has been among the leading partnerships in the country for some time."