Nursery World - Voluntary sector progresses most

The voluntary sector has improved more than any other type of provision, according to the first large-scale study of childcare across England since the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) in the late 1990s. The Quality of Childcare Settings in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), which compared EPPE data, found that while quality had gone up in all sectors, particularly with the 'learning aspects of provision', the voluntary sector made the largest gains.

The Quality of Childcare Settings in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), which compared EPPE data, found that while quality had gone up in all sectors, particularly with the 'learning aspects of provision', the voluntary sector made the largest gains.

The MCS is following the lives of 19,000 babies born between 2000 and 2002.

In contrast to the NNI evaluation (News, 5 April), which focused on disadvantaged areas, the study provides a snapshot of childcare quality across England, with 632 three- to - five-year-olds in 301 private, voluntary and maintained settings.

It said, 'Voluntary providers have made significant improvements in all areas, including personal care routines, interaction and language, curricular provision for literacy, maths and science, and provision for diversity and individual learning needs.'

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