Nursery World - Make changes in the delivery

By Margaret Lochrie, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance In May last year the Pre-school Learning Alliance launched a two-year campaign to put parents and their young children at the heart of education policy. The campaign, 'Changing lives changing life', endorsed the aims of the National Childcare Strategy but also sought to secure practical changes in the way nursery education and childcare are delivered. These changes were reflected in a charter for parents and the early years, which would secure a childcare or nursery education place for every child who needs one; continuity of care for children; full consultation with parents to ensure that provision is matched to family needs; the formation of parent boards for all early years settings; and drop-in and advice services for parents.

These changes were reflected in a charter for parents and the early years, which would secure a childcare or nursery education place for every child who needs one; continuity of care for children; full consultation with parents to ensure that provision is matched to family needs; the formation of parent boards for all early years settings; and drop-in and advice services for parents.

The charter has now been endorsed by nearly 50 Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. Next, we hope to work with a small number of EYDCPs to pilot approaches to making these principles a reality.

The 'Changing lives changing life' campaign will have a fresh impetus this year, focusing on child poverty and its negative consequences for early childhood development. While area childcare initiatives like the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative provide intensive resources to combat child poverty, two-thirds of children living in poverty do not live in the most disadvantaged areas. As a strand of our campaign, we will looking into poverty within our pre-schools.

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