Research highlights importance of high quality childcare for every child

ENGLAND – The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published several reports highlighting the increased value parents and carers place on the childcare and financial support provided by the government.

They also show that settings need to do more to ensure that as well as benefiting families, early education has a positive impact on a child’s development.

An evaluation of the free childcare for two-year-olds pilot found that less adequate settings had no impact on a child’s development.

However, good quality settings left a significant impression on the child and their family, improving the relationship between the parents and the child and having a substantial impact on the child’s development.

Earlier this year ministers announced plans to accelerate the expansion of this pilot to give up to 15 hours of free childcare to 15 per cent of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds across the country.

Children’s minister Dawn Primarolo confirmed that only settings deemed to be operating at a good or outstanding level by Ofsted or by local councils would be able to offer parents the additional free hours.

“We know that good childcare has a great impact on a child’s all important early years and we are determined that all children are given the best possible start in life,” said Ms Primarolo.

“This commitment to delivering the free offer for two-year-olds in good or outstanding settings aims to drive up standards across the sector, further raising the bar in childcare and early years.”

In three research documents released recently, findings showed that between 2007 and 2008 there has been a five percentage point increase in the take up of formal childcare across the country, and the free early education for two, three and four-year-olds continues to prove increasingly popular with parents and carers.

However, research shows more needs to be done to increase the take-up of formal childcare among low-income working families.

Childcare was also a reason for some parents not returning to work, and the government is addressing this with a £75m (NZ$195) fund to provide free childcare to parents and carers who are training for employment and with continued cross-government support for financial assistance for employed people.

Ms Primarolo continued: “As well as ensuring, through the Early Years Foundation Stage, that all children are getting the best possible start in life through early learning and childcare, the government has invested an unprecedented amount of money into ensuring that parents and carers have the childcare support they need to find and to get into employment.

“Whether that is through the free provision for two, three and four-year-olds, childcare vouchers, Tax Credits for Childcare, or the free childcare for those training to get into and back into employment, there is a huge range of support out there for parents.

“Our job is now to communicate this better to parents and carers and make them fully aware of what they are entitled to.”