The Government launched a refresh of the Ten-Year Childcare Strategy, entitled Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare: Building on the Ten-Year Strategy, to coincide with the five-year anniversary of the original vision. A key theme continues to centre on improving affordability and choice for parents. This will be achieved in part by extending the free entitlement.
Nurseries need to consider how to integrate these changes within existing marketing plans and pricing policies, as it should have a direct impact upon sustainability. Key areas of financial note include the following.
The Government is committed to:
- Offering free early learning and childcare places to the most disadvantaged two- year-olds in every local authority from September 2009. Initially, children in the 15 per cent most disadvantaged areas will be targeted, although the intent is to extend this stage by stage. Ten hours of free care per week will be offered in the best quality settings, with a view to facilitating seamless progression to the 15-hour offer in the term after the child turns three.
- Fully rolling out the 15-hour offer for three- and four-year-olds by September 2010.
- Enabling parents to choose whether to take up the free hours on offer when their child is two, or transfer part of the entitlement to have more hours at age three and four. This option will not be available until a full roll-out has been achieved.
- Ensuring that parents have the choice to stretch the free offer for two-, three- and four-year-olds over more than 38 weeks of the year, including holidays.
- Exploring the principles and practicalities of linking funding for the free entitlement more closely to the contributions that individual providers make to outcomes.
- Creating a single national price comparison website which will allow parents to compare providers, based upon information about quality and price.
A copy of both the full and summary document can be obtained by visiting www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
