Nursery World - Exclusive: The Minister's View

I want to explain in more detail the reforms to Sure Start and early years services that I announced last week.

I'm very clear, and have written in these pages recently, that investment in the early years is absolutely critical. A child's birth should not determine their fate, and for too many children this is still the case.

Last week, we announced that we are removing the requirement to provide full daycare for children's centres in the most disadvantaged areas. However, we still expect centres to provide the level of childcare that parents in the area need and the additional services that local communities rely on. We are also removing the requirement for centres to have both an Early Years Professional and a Qualified Teacher. We are instead leaving it up to them to choose which of the two roles is right for their centre, to provide the highest quality advice and expertise.

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