Nursery World - Parents opting for part-time daycare

A survey of its members by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) reveals that less than one fifth of under-fives attending private and voluntary settings are in full-time daycare. This figure contrasts with the Government's drive towards extended hours from 8am to 6pm and suggests most parents do not want very young children in group daycare. Eighty-two per cent of children attending the 150 nurseries surveyed attend nursery part time, it found, usually in a half-day session.

This figure contrasts with the Government's drive towards extended hours from 8am to 6pm and suggests most parents do not want very young children in group daycare. Eighty-two per cent of children attending the 150 nurseries surveyed attend nursery part time, it found, usually in a half-day session.

The majority of children attending nursery were two to three years old (42 per cent). Nineteen per cent were aged one to two, and just 7 per cent were less than 12 months old.

The survey of 150 settings provides a snapshot of what it is like in the day nurseries that collectively care for 15,000 under-fives and employ more than 2,500 childcare practitioners.

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