I read the Equal hours? research report by Professor Edward Melhuish and Dr Julian Gardiner with a sense of déjà vu. It comes on the back of the early years enjoying a run in the headlines in recent weeks. The Royal Foundation grabbed a few lines, and the ongoing closures of nurseries around the country is becoming more familiar. Fees need to rise to keep up with inflation and funding has been so low for so long that sustainability is a problem for every provider. The increasingly stark situation gives the impression that the sector isn't important to those in power, but it seemed to gain some status in Government when the Treasury suggested it as a route back to work (and paying tax) for those out of the labour market.
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