Nursery World - On track?

As the first funding for the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative is rolled out, Ruth Thomson looks at where the scheme may be heading You know a Government initiative is in potential trouble when it has been dubbed 'the Railtrack of the childcare sector'. The sobriquet is that of the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative (NNI), a Government scheme committed to creating 45,000 full daycare places in the 20 per cent most deprived wards in England. So, is it derailed, or on track to achieve its objective?

You know a Government initiative is in potential trouble when it has been dubbed 'the Railtrack of the childcare sector'. The sobriquet is that of the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative (NNI), a Government scheme committed to creating 45,000 full daycare places in the 20 per cent most deprived wards in England. So, is it derailed, or on track to achieve its objective?

Announced in December 2000, the scheme has 300m with which to create the equivalent of 900 50-place nurseries. By providing childcare places, the Government aims to help parents, particularly lone parents, into training and employment, and wants to attract childcare providers committed to the regeneration of the areas.

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