‘Childcare for all’ plans unveiled
Local authorities will be charged with ensuring all parents have access to affordable childcare under new proposals introduced today.
Education secretary Ruth Kelly said the government’s childcare bill was a “truly landmark” piece of legislation, as it is the first devoted specifically to childcare and the under fives.
It would require local authorities to ensure there was sufficient local childcare to meet the needs of mothers and fathers in their area, and create a new framework within which schools could open from 8am to 6pm through extended schools and children’s centres.
In addition, it would increase a new legal framework for the regulation and inspection of all early years providers, including creating a new Ofsted childcare register, which will monitor all providers of care for children under the age of eight.
More controversially, it would also require nurseries and childcare providers to deliver the early years foundation stage to all children from birth – teaching guidelines with the same legal force as the national curriculum in schools.
“Mothers and fathers will have the certainty of knowing that whatever their background, high-quality local early years education and childcare services will be available to support them and their children,” Ms Kelly said.
She added: “This bill confirms that vital role that local authorities will play as strategic leaders, working in partnership across all sectors to shape the delivery of early years service and the future provision of childcare, raising quality and improving outcomes for all children and parents.”
The announcement was generally welcomed by children’s groups, with Kate Green, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), saying the plans to provide affordable childcare for all would do much to help lift many families out of poverty.
However, the Tories have accused the government of leaving local authorities “holding the baby”, and abdicating their own responsibility for providing good, affordable childcare.
“Ministers are washing their hands of the responsibility for ensuring childcare provision, because their own attempts have not met the needs of working families,” said shadow family secretary Theresa May.
“Simply shifting the problem to local authorities without providing a penny of additional money will not only do little to solve the problem, it may yet lead to higher council tax bills for many people. Councils cannot simply wave a magic wand and create more childcare places.”
The CBI welcomed today’s bill, saying it included “sensible and timely” measures to improve services for children, but warned against a “state monopoly” of childcare provision.
“Charities, the voluntary sector and commercial providers are already working well and new money should be used to improve provision, not to cut them out of the marketplace,” said director of public services Neil Bentley.
“Fairness and transparency in the market for children’s services will help deliver where quality matters and where nobody is forced to choose second best.”
