An announcement on the funding of the two-year-olds' places is expected imminently. The new Minister for Education and Childcare, Elizabeth Truss, was very keen to flag this up as an indication of the way DfE policy would be moving in our interview.
Ms Truss is promising simplicity and transparency on the rate that providers receive, and in the way that quality will be rewarded. She admits that sorting this out, let alone the free entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, will not be easy.
Indeed, the whole provision of the two-year-olds places will be fraught with difficulty. How can the government ensure enough places in the right areas, properly funded, and of high quality when local authorities are hard-pressed?
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