Childcare has made huge advances in the past decade. Nurseries have had a major role in that progress and now there are almost 16,000 in communities nationwide. Mainly private and voluntary-run settings, they play a big part in early learning and family support. But there is still a lot to do to achieve sustainable early years provision and outcomes. Investing in early years brings benefits and savings later. As Britain gears up for the general election, NDNA's 10-point plan highlights what needs to be done.
International evidence shows that quality formal childcare and play-based early learning produces positive outcomes for children. Parents value this support and nurseries remain their top formal childcare choice, helping one million UK children play, develop and grow.
Councils need to work more closely with a diverse range of childcarers to extend these benefits to more children and families, especially in disadvantaged areas where childcare connects most with return to work or re-training, social mobility and ending child poverty. Sustainable provision is so important, particularly as Britain looks for economic recovery. Yet, in the current climate, pressure on costs - and parental fees - is greater than ever. Together, government, policymakers and providers must ensure that initiatives and targets are achievable over the next parliament.
NDNA's 10 point plan
1. Resolve funding shortfalls on the free entitlement to early learning and childcare
so settings can provide it sustainably. This is key to delivering more flexible, high-quality childcare and free part-time places for two-year-olds.
Make it free to parents and to childcarers. 2. Continue to support families with childcare costs and ensure funding follows the child so that all parents in every area have a real choice from a diverse range of provision in the early years care and learning.
3. Promote and monitor strong partnership working locally between councils, children's centres, schools and early years providers. Level the playing field on access to funding locally for private and voluntary nurseries. Work together to secure sufficient childcare through recession and into recovery.
4. Makes children's centres hubs for early years and family services that work cost-effectively with all local childcare providers, especially in deprived areas to support return to work and deliver better for children in lower income families. Dispel the myth that private and voluntary settings do not operate in disadvantaged communities.
5. Commit to long-term support to enable workforce development, including new Level 3 targets, and graduate leadership. Cost these initiatives fully, demonstrate they are achievable and make it easier for providers to access dedicated funding.
6. Support the children's workforce to develop more personalised services that meet every child's needs, including better provision for disabled children. Ensure childcarers are equipped properly for safeguarding and early intervention responsibilities.
7. Incentivise continuous quality improvement and encourage professionalisation, but retain the value of experienced childcarers. Address challenges of recruitment and retention in a way that is fair both to providers and staff.
8. Simplify distribution of early years funding to make childcare progressively more affordable for parents, well funded in frontline settings, and efficient for government and taxpayers. Create a fair deal for all nurseries on business rates.
9. Retain the review of Early Years Foundation Stage implementation in autumn 2010. Help childcarers focus on child outcomes, play-based learning and smoothing transition to primary education by minimising time spent on administration.
10. Do not lower the school entry age. Ensure parents have a genuine choice to defer their child's school entry so that play-based learning can continue in an early years setting, rather than a school environment, if that is what they feel is bet.
To download a copy of the ten-point plan, please click here.
