Nursery World - Second class?

Gaps between the vision of what the Government aspires to for the early years, and the reality, are examined by Professor Chris Pascal and Professor Tony Bertram When reflecting on the current state of early childhood services in England it is important to recall just how far we have come over the past eight or nine years. Late in the last century we had a system of support for children and families across most of the country that could be described as fragmented, patchy, under-funded, undervalued, and, in far too many cases, of poor quality. It certainly was not a system fit for the demands of family life in the 21st century.

When reflecting on the current state of early childhood services in England it is important to recall just how far we have come over the past eight or nine years. Late in the last century we had a system of support for children and families across most of the country that could be described as fragmented, patchy, under-funded, undervalued, and, in far too many cases, of poor quality. It certainly was not a system fit for the demands of family life in the 21st century.

The first years of this century have been marked by a genuinely radical and innovative attempt by Government to change this situation and to put in place an entirely reconfigured and integrated system of support and development for children and families. The exploration and innovation that has occurred through the funding of visionary programmes such as Early Excellence and Sure Start has provided important learning about what works and what kinds of service have the capacity to change children's lives.

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