Nursery World - 'Stop targeting poorest areas'

Government measures to support childcare should be extended to poor children who live outside disadvantaged areas, says the Daycare Trust. In a report, Talking about childcare, published last week, the Trust called for initiatives to reach the 46 per cent of children who live in poverty outside the 20 per cent most disadvantaged areas of England. It said that it wanted to see a shift away from targeting areas of disadvantage exclusively and that this could be realised through the development of children's centres in every community.

In a report, Talking about childcare, published last week, the Trust called for initiatives to reach the 46 per cent of children who live in poverty outside the 20 per cent most disadvantaged areas of England. It said that it wanted to see a shift away from targeting areas of disadvantage exclusively and that this could be realised through the development of children's centres in every community.

Director Stephen Burke said, 'A children's centre in every community offering affordable childcare would go a long way towards raising parents'

expectations and delivering universal childcare services.'

The report said a typical nursery place for a child under two now cost almost 7,000 a year and that six years after the launch of the national childcare strategy, some parents believed that staying on benefits and not working was more cost-effective than looking for a job because of the high cost of childcare.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included