But what was there for the workers? Nothing.
Now, at the start of Labour's second term, it could show us it is still serious about investing in the early years by putting its money where its mouth is and paying all nursery nurses a decent salary. A recent Daycare Trust survey found that more than 60 per cent of parents recognise that childcare workers are poorly paid (News, 24 May). Yet the National Day Nurseries Association says that to pay a nursery nurse a basic salary of 13,000 would mean raising the cost of a childcare place to at least 200 a week. But parents won't pay this amount even with the help of the childcare tax credit, so the only alternative is for the Government to subsidise childcare directly.
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