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High quality childcare is the key to social mobility
13 January 2009 - Daycare Trust, the national childcare campaign,
are welcoming new policy announcements for early years education and
care in today’s ‘New Opportunities’
NEWS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO
CONTACT: DAYCARE TRUST PRESS OFFICE, 020 7840 3350, OUT OF HOURS 0780-4508768
Daycare Trust, the national childcare campaign, are welcoming new policy announcements for early years education and care in today’s ‘New Opportunities’ White Paper including:
- Extending free childcare places for two-year olds, including £57m to extend the pilot scheme to 15% of the most disadvantaged two-year olds nationally making 23,000 free places available each year, spread across every local authority in England. Once the child turns three, they will automatically be entitled to 15 hours of free care per week.
- Consider making it a requirement that all practitioners have a full and relevant qualification of at least Level 3 (equivalent to A-levels) by 2015.
- Promoting awareness and take-up of the free childcare entitlement for three- and four-year-olds and the family support services provided by Sure Start Children’s Centres to improve outcomes for children under five, particularly the most disadvantaged.
Daycare Trust joint chief executive Alison Garnham said:
“The Government is right to recognise that high quality early years education and care is the key to social mobility.
“Lower income families get a double dividend from high quality early years education and care. Firstly, they can balance their family and work life maximising their household income, and secondly their children will benefit from improved language development, social skills and behaviour when they start school.
“The announcement on improving staff qualifications in childcare settings is welcome; the next frontier for childcare is to drive up quality by developing a highly trained and motivated workforce. However, to achieve this, action is needed to tackle the poor pay and conditions suffered by the majority of childcare workers.
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
Daycare Trust is the national childcare charity, campaigning for quality affordable accessible childcare for all and raising the voices of children, parents and carers. We advise parents and carers, providers, employers, trade unions and policymakers on childcare issues. We recognise that everyone is unique and we value difference in our communities. We listen to all views and are committed to act without prejudice. We oppose all discrimination and promote equality in all we do.
Daycare Trust is calling on the government to:
- Meet parents' aspirations for universal childcare services by:
- expanding free places for two, three and four-year olds to at least 20 hours a week, for 48 weeks in the year and
- subsidising out of school activities for all 11-14s and for younger children from poorer families, aiming ultimately to make them free.
- Tackle the affordability crisis by giving local authorities the means to develop sustainable services in poorer areas and provide free places for those missing out, including places for disabled children, parents needing out of hours care, Further Education students and parents of under-threes who want to train.
- Raise the bar on childcare quality by expanding the Graduate Leader Fund, developing a new generation of childcare professionals and paying them properly.
Daycare Trust is a member of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, www.ecpc.org.uk.
For further information, contact press office at Daycare Trust on 020 7840 3350, ext 217 (out of hours 0780-4508768).
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