Nursery World - Early education and childcare: forecast for 2020 trends

Patrick Hayes, director of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA,) says that forthcoming policy moves should expand the childcare market, but not without challenges

Since the Government’s first moves to increase the affordability and supply of childcare, there has been a large expansion of provision. A new report, ‘Understanding the childcare provider market: implications for educational suppliers’, from the Family and Childcare Trust in association with the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) states that today in the UK, there are an estimated 23,500 day nurseries, 9,600 pre-schools and sessional crèches, 59,500 childminders and 15,000 out-of-school childcare providers. Early education and childcare is booming, with spending predicted to reach £7.5 billion by 2017.

The report certainly backs up our understanding that childcare continues to be high on the political agenda, with the demand for investment in early education and childcare at a record high. At present, to a certain extent parents receive help with their childcare costs, with all three- and four-year-old children eligible for free part-time education.

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