Daycare Trust joint chief executive Alison Garnham, and Jane Waldfogel,a researcher at the London School of Economics, claim that improvingquality, availability and accessibility of childcare are all crucial tothe UK meeting its 2020 deadline to end child poverty.
They make their recommendations in What is needed to end child povertyin 2020, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The reportassesses Government progress so far, and calls for more investment in arange of measures covering education, improved workplace pay andflexibility, and childcare.
The publication coincides with concerns highlighted by the End ChildPoverty Campaign, which condemns the Chancellor's Pre Budget Report as amissed opportunity to help the one in three children currently living inpoverty.
The authors say that childcare policies are critical to the success ofthe Government's pledge, arguing that particularly in a recession,investment in childcare is crucial.
Ms Garnham said, 'The key point is that when you are talking aboutrecession and investing in public services, then, in my view, investingin childcare could not be a better place to put your money. Not only areyou doing things like improving the health of parents and children, butparents get into work and stay in work, and that's good for theeconomy.'
Their report calls for the free childcare entitlement to be extended totwo-year-olds, improved availability of out-of-school and holidayprovision, and the highest quality early years education and care, topromote children's health and development now and in the nextgeneration.
They estimate that this could cut the number of children living inpoverty by up to 50 per cent.
Children's experiences in families suffering 'time and income poverty'are highlighted elsewhere in the Joseph Rowntree FoundationRound-up.
Researcher Tania Burchardt of the London School of Economics notes that,while policymakers approach the issue of low income by getting parentsinto jobs, too often that results in less time to spend with theirchildren. Children of lone parents in particular are likely to miss outon either material benefits or the parental input they need to thrive,says the report.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Download the report atwww.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/2275.asp
