But care organisations said that more still needs to be done to protect the safety of vulnerable children and maintain quality in settings.
Children's minister Beverly Hughes told delegates to the Daycare Trust's conference in London, 'Ensuring children, particularly young children, are safe when receiving childcare is a key concern for us all. I can announce today that registration will be compulsory for childcare providers up to age eight, while remaining voluntary for those providing care for children up to 14.'
Ministers gave in to fierce opposition to a proposal in the Childcare Bill, due to be published this week (Tuesday), that would allow providers caring for children aged over five to voluntarily join the new Ofsted Childcare Register to meet minimum standards. But they stopped short of introducing regulation for providers for over-eights, which childcare organisations say is still an 'outstanding issue'.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, welcomed the change of plans but said she 'hopes and expects' that regulations for over-eights care would be in the Bill.
'The next priority is to ensure that the framework and standards for regulation are rigorous enough to ensure that childcare continues to be of the highest quality needed. The new registration scheme must not be a route to dilution of quality,' she added.
Steve Alexander, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said the change showed that the Government was 'really listening to key stakeholders in childcare'. But he added, 'We would like to see the Bill propose a compulsory register for children of all ages.'
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'The Government should ensure equality of regulation and inspection across all childcare providers, including schools, so that parents can be assured the same safeguards apply whatever service they choose.'
Naomi Compton, head of the early years and childcare service at Derbyshire county council, said, 'It's not gone far enough in keeping children safe.
It seems that settings with five- to eight-year-olds need to be on the register, but there's no clarification that they will get regular inspections. It's a step backwards from what we already have, but better than originally proposed.'
Lisa Harker, chair of the Daycare Trust, said the Government could help ensure that services for children are of the highest quality by 'making sure that inspection and regulation is effective and transparent, and by pressing ahead with much-needed investment in the childcare workforce'.
The Childcare Bill also proposes to give local authorities a statutory duty to see that working families with children aged 14 and under have access to childcare if they need it. Gill Haynes, chief executive of the National Childminding Association, said, 'This will mean for the first time that we have a clear way of ensuring childcare is available in every community for every child that needs it.'
Maurice Smith, Ofsted's director of early years, said, 'The childcare sector has outlined the importance of regulation and inspection in making sure that childcare is safe and meets appropriate standards.'
The reforms were outlined in a report on the Responses to Consultation on Legislative Proposals for the Future of Childcare and Early Years Provision in England, which is available at www.everychildmatters.gov.uk.
