Healthy Holidays Calderdale 2024

What is Healthy Holidays Calderdale?

The Department for Education (DfE) have identified Holiday Activities & Food Programme Funds for local authorities to try and remove the ‘holiday experience gap.’ This refers to the impact of school holidays on children from lower income families. Children who lose access to free school meals and the stimulus and physical activity from the routine of school life, return to school more disadvantaged after school holidays. Calderdale Council are asking groups to apply for funds to bridge this gap by offering free holiday schemes where children can take part in fun activities and have a hot meal and snacks during the holidays. The funding is for children eligible for benefits-related free school meals and not for children in key stage 1 on universal free school meals.

 

What are funders looking for?

Calderdale Council want eligible children attending Healthy Holidays Calderdale schemes to:

  • have fun
  • experience new activities
  • participate in a minimum of 60 minutes of physical exercise within a 4-hour session
  • have access to water and healthy snacks for the duration of the session
  • receive at least one hot meal
  • prepare, eat and learn about healthy food

There are 7 DfE standards for providers to work to and you can find out more information in the guidance:

Click here to view the guidance

 How to apply

Community Foundation for Calderdale (CFFC) is administering the application process on behalf of Calderdale Council:

For top tips on applying for a grant please click here

It is anticipated that applicants will be notified of decisions in Nov/Dec 2023 but these will be ‘conditional’ offers. This is because we will need to wait for formal confirmation of Calderdale’s HAF allocation for 2024 from DfE. Once we receive DfE’s Grant Determination Letter, funding will be confirmed. This is expected in January 2024.