Children's minister Margaret Hodge launched the findings of its latest survey on parents' views of childcare at a Social Market Foundation seminar in London last week.
She said, 'This is important, which is why we want to support informal care by linking the wider family through playgroups and children's centres to our services for children.'
Formal daycare and nursery provision were the most popular choices of provision for 64 percent of parents questioned - and a third of parents said that the qualification level of their childcarer was their top worry.
Cost was not a major concern.
Pedometers will be piloted to increase awareness of the need to be active and health trainers will help pupils write their own lifestyle plans including healthy food and more exercise.
