A report proposed 10 'benchmarks' as a first step towards establishing a set of minimum standards by which progress in early childhood education and care might be monitored and compared across the countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. England met just 5 of the 10 benchmarks and was ranked joint 11th out of 25 countries.
Source: Peter Adamson, The Child Care Transition: A league table of early childhood education and care in economically advanced countries, Innocenti Report Card 8, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (+39 055 20 330)
Links: Report | Unicef press release | ECP press release | Community Care report | BBC report | Womensgrid report
Date: 2008-Dec
A paper examined issues relating to the workforce in early childhood education and care. It said that pay and conditions in the sector were 'extremely low' in comparison with similar positions in other parts of the children's sector; and called on the government to establish a high-level social partnership group with a clear remit to address the detrimental impact this was having.
Source: Raising the Bar: What next for the early childhood education and care workforce?, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Nov
An article examined whether the mixed market economy, selected as the vehicle to deliver childcare and family support provision, promoted separate markets for low-income groups and the better-off, while hindering the achievement of child poverty strategy outcomes.
Source: Eva Lloyd, 'The interface between childcare, family support and child poverty strategies under New Labour: tensions and contradictions', Social Policy and Society, Volume 7 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Oct
A study sought to identify the most potent message/mix of messages to maximize take-up of formal childcare, primarily among low-income families.
Source: Andrew Irving Associates, Promoting Take-up of Formal Childcare Among Low-income Families: Message testing research, Research Report RR068, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report examined the most successful approaches by local authorities in England to providing free nursery care. It considered how best to co-ordinate local funding, successful ways of working with childcare providers, and how to make sure enough places were provided for all eligible children.
Source: Making the Free Early Years Entitlement Work: Good practice case studies of partnership working, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report examined the optimal language, from the viewpoint of low-income parents, for the government to use when talking about childcare.
Source: Karen Roberts, Understanding Attitudes to Childcare and Childcare Language Among Low Income Parents, Research Report RW059, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Oct
The Prime Minister announced plans to enshrine in law the government's pledge to end child poverty by 2020; and to introduce free nursery education for children aged 2 in up to 60 areas.
Source: Speech by Gordon Brown MP (Prime Minister), 22 September 2008
Links: Text of speech | 4Children press release | Save the Children press release | UNICEF press release | ECP press release | Childrens Society press release | Barnardos press release | Community Care report | Personnel Today report | FT report
Date: 2008-Sep
A survey found that there were 13,600 full daycare providers operating in 2007 – a 74 per cent increase since 2001, and a 7 per cent increase since 2006.
Source: Susan Nicholson, Emma Jordan, Jonathon Cooper and Joanne Mason, Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2007, Research Report RR047, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | PSLA press release | Liberal Democrats press release
Date: 2008-Aug
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that more early years and childcare settings were meeting requirements set by the government than three years previously. Although fewer than 80 per cent of registered settings met national standards in 2005, in 2008 almost all did (97 per cent) and two-thirds (60 per cent) were good or outstanding.
Source: Early Years: Leading to Excellence – A review of childcare and early education 2005-08 with a focus on organisation, leadership and management, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | NCH press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Aug
A survey of children aged 6-12 (6-18 for those with disabilities) examined their experiences of, and views on, childcare. Childcare was a positive experience for most of the children consulted. Advantages included being able to make new friends; opportunities to do activities and access facilities that they would not otherwise be able to; and, for some children, a chance to do things independently of their family. But some children expressed worries about bullying in out-of-school clubs; and some clubs could be too structured and restrictive.
Source: Listening to Children About Childcare, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Report | Daycare Trust press release
Date: 2008-Jul
An annual survey of children's day care nurseries provided data on spending, funding, capacity, occupancy, staffing levels, nursery fees, and employee pay rates. The total value of the market grew by 8 per cent in 2007-08.
Source: Philip Blackburn, Children's Nurseries: UK Market Report 2008, Laing & Buisson (020 7833 9123)
Links: Summary | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Jul
An article presented findings from a three-year government-funded study of the work and family lives of four important groups within the childcare workforce in England: residential social workers in children's homes, family support workers, foster carers, and community childminders. Although the planned integrated qualifications framework might assist mobility within the childcare workforce, other factors also needed to be taken into account. The choice to engage in particular types of childcare work was often linked to factors such as life stage, preferred age of child, preferred working environment, and the worker's own background and needs. This suggested the need for more targeted recruitment, matching people to type of work, and for more attention to be paid to the connexions between work and family life.
Source: June Statham, Julia Brannen and Ann Mooney, 'Mobility within the childcare workforce: evidence for a new policy?', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 37 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jul
A survey found that 84 per cent of families had used some form of childcare or early years provision in the previous year. Take-up of childcare services had not increased between 2004 and 2007. The cost of childcare was a barrier to take-up for some parents, particularly low-income families and lone parents. Significant minorities also mentioned as barriers an inadequate number of childcare places, and insufficient services during school holidays or outside standard hours. But the proportion of parents who thought that childcare affordability in their local area was very good or fairly good had risen from 35 to 38 per cent between 2004 and 2007; and the proportion who thought that there were the right number of childcare places locally had increased from 40 to 44 per cent.
Source: Anne Kazimirski, Ruth Smith, Sarah Butt, Eleanor Ireland and Eva Lloyd, Childcare and Early Years Survey 2007: Parents' use, views and experiences, Research Report 25, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | NDNA press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-May
A think-tank report said that parents' preferences for childcare were not being met by the options available. The government's basic aim had been to encourage as many mothers as possible into paid work, and for children to be placed in formal childcare settings: but women would actually prefer, in many cases, for their children to be cared for in their own homes.
Source: Catherine Hakim, Karen Bradley, Emily Price and Louisa Mitchell, Little Britons: Financing childcare choice, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Links: Report | Summary | Daycare Trust press release | LSE press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Apr
A think-tank report identified the key problems standing in the way of shifting the early years sector workforce towards higher level skills, greater quality, and higher wages; and made suggestions for overcoming these.
Source: Graeme Cooke and Kayte Lawton, For Love or Money: Pay, progression and professionalisation in the 'early years' workforce, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Date: 2008-Apr
An article presented findings from a study of the work and family lives of four groups within the children's care workforce in England: residential social workers in children's homes, family support workers, foster carers, and community childminders. Although the planned integrated qualifications framework might assist mobility within the childcare workforce, other factors also needed to be taken into account. The choice to engage in particular types of childcare work was often linked to factors such as life stage, preferred age of child, preferred working environment, and the worker's own background and needs.
Source: June Statham, Julia Brannen and Ann Mooney, 'Mobility within the childcare workforce: evidence for a new policy?', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 37 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Apr
A report prepared for the Northern Ireland Assembly examined childcare strategies, policies, and funding for Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland. It outlined the results of some recent research in the childcare field, and the opinions of organizations in the childcare sector. Childcare in Northern Ireland was reported as 'woefully inadequate'; and women cited the lack of affordable quality childcare as the main barrier to seeking employment.
Source: Childcare Provision in the UK and Republic of Ireland, Research Paper 16/08, Research and Library Service/Northern Ireland Assembly (028 9052 1078)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Apr
A report examined the views of childcare workers on engaging black and minority ethnic communities with childcare services; recruiting and retaining childcare workers from BME communities; and the extent to which this addressed the question of how to increase uptake of childcare among different ethnic groups.
Source: Ensuring Equality: The black and minority ethnic childcare workforce, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Mar
A survey found that families had suffered above-inflation price increases in their childcare bills in 2007 for the seventh year running, paying on average between £7,000 and £8,000 for a full-time nursery place for a child under 2.
Source: Childcare Costs Survey 2008, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Report | Daycare Trust press release | CPAG press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jan