Ten childcare settings across the UK have been awarded a share of £300,000 to help forces’ families access early years education.

The projects, which will also provide development and upskilling opportunities for early years staff, aim to improve educational experiences for young children from service families. The funding comes from the Ministry of Defence’s Armed Forces Families Fund.

Debra Barton, early years specialist lead at the Ministry of Defence, said: “Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s Armed Forces Families Fund: Early Years programme. These projects and the meaningful change the funding will create, allows the organisations to enhance their services to mitigate the challenges faced by young Service children and their families, due to military life.”

Aldershot Garrison Preschool was awarded £23,960 to provide specialised training sessions to support staff in gaining more confidence in their roles and becoming better prepared to handle a wide range of situations. Chief executive Julie Mounfield said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this significant funding, which will provide our early years staff with specialised training, including SEN training and behaviour management.”

RAFAKidz Honington received £13,334 to transform an outdoor space designed to support children with special educational needs (SEND). The preschool looks after service children who require additional support with behaviour, speech and language and separation anxiety speech and language and separation anxiety, particularly those affected by parental deployment. The funding will enable the creation of a space equipped with tailored resources that promote the development of muscular strength, gross motor skills, concentration, critical thinking, and hand-eye coordination.