Next month Labour will have been in power for ten years, a decade characterised by constant change in every aspect of early years provision and childcare. Yet as our Comment (see page 31) and Special Report (see page 10) show, Government progress on delivering high-quality and affordable childcare for families has been limited, while any real commitment to early years education has foundered. Despite the ongoing criticisms of Government policy and concerns about providers' sustainability, our main news story this week (see page 4) outlines the expansion plans of some of the nursery chains, providing yet more evidence of recovery, at least within some parts of the private sector. How great that revival in confidence will be will depend enormously - perhaps almost entirely - on the future funding for the free entitlement, which is now up for consultation.
Next month Labour will have been in power for ten years, a decade characterised by constant change in every aspect of early years provision and childcare. Yet as our Comment (see page 31) and Special Report (see page 10) show, Government progress on delivering high-quality and affordable childcare for families has been limited, while any real commitment to early years education has foundered.
Despite the ongoing criticisms of Government policy and concerns about providers' sustainability, our main news story this week (see page 4) outlines the expansion plans of some of the nursery chains, providing yet more evidence of recovery, at least within some parts of the private sector. How great that revival in confidence will be will depend enormously - perhaps almost entirely - on the future funding for the free entitlement, which is now up for consultation.
On page 9, NDNA spokesperson Hayley Wilson sets out just how important this consultation is for early years providers and explains the main points up for discussion. We hope our readers will follow her advice and provide feedback to the NDNA or respond directly to the consultation. Having your say on this issue will be essential if all providers are going to be able to look to the future with confidence and raise quality within the sector.
