Editor's view

With the election delayed and parliament open for business for a few more weeks than expected, it's a good time for the government to be able to let the childcare sector have some welcome news. The decision to waive fees for criminal record checks for all childcarers in England for at least the first year of the Criminal Records Bureau's operation from this autumn has managed, rather unusually, to please the childminders, the private day nurseries and the pre-schools alike. It is eminently sensible not to impose the 12 fee on childcarers, especially at a time when many more people are needed in the workforce, and Nursery World hopes that the exemption will continue to apply after the first year of the CRB ends. We know from the feedback we receive from readers that many of you really need more information on working with babies and toddlers. Our popular series on working with under-threes has now been extended into a Nursery World book, Play and Learning for the Under-Threes, written by the same authors. Read an extract from this essential new publication (pages 12-13) and enter our draw for a chance to win a copy.