The Government's anti-poverty strategy is aimed at improving opportunities for parents to work. High quality, affordable childcare is crucial to achieving these objectives, as well as improving the work-life balance for parents. Since 1998, the National Childcare Strategy and a number of Government initiatives have sought to increase the availability, accessibility and quality of childcare and early education.
However, high childcare and housing costs in London are keeping thousands of parents out of paid employment and training. With this in mind, I launched the London Childcare Strategy 'Towards affordable good quality childcare for all' in 2003.
The London Childcare Strategy creates a vision and a framework for developing childcare in the capital. It creates an opportunity to focus on childcare resources and to respond directly to the city's childcare issues.
It is being implemented and delivered by the London Development Agency via a dedicated childcare team providing, supporting and funding programmes designed to help parents access quality, affordable childcare.
The largest programme is CAP, the Childcare Affordability Programme. Aimed at supporting lower income families, the three-year pilot, part funded by SureStart, provides direct subsidy to childcare providers, capping the weekly fee for full daycare while incentivising providers to offer more flexibility in provision. CAP allows lower income parents in London to receive the benefit of the childcare element of tax credits, and makes more places available at the hours parents need.
Enabling parents to access childcare of their choice, the hours and flexibility they require, at a price they can afford, is a priority for me.
I am delighted that the programme subsidies 6,400 full daycare and flexible CAP places pan London, well on the way to achieving up to 10,000 places during the three-year pilot.
