Researchers examined children's perspectives on their experiences in a range of early years settings, and what these perspectives said about the effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Source: Ros Garrick et al., Children's Experiences of the Early Years Foundation Stage, Research Report RR071, Department for Education
Date: 2010-Dec
A study examined the roles and responsibilities of special educational needs co-ordinators in early years settings.
Source: Rachel Reynolds and Nicola Young, Supporting Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in Early Years Settings: Findings from research, Pre-school Learning Alliance
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Dec
The initial results were published of a study into childminding practice in England. 12 per cent of the sample had no qualification. Most were largely satisfied with their jobs.
Source: Rebecca Fauth, Helena Jelicic, Joanna Lea, Sue Owen and Natasha Willmott, Childminding Practice in England: Initial survey findings, National Children's Bureau
Links: Report | NCMA press release
Date: 2010-Nov
Researchers examined the characteristics and quality of group childcare settings used by children in areas served by Sure Start local programmes, and the relationships between pre-school childcare quality and child outcomes.
Source: Edward Melhuish, Jay Belsky, Kristen MacPherson and Andrew Cullis, The Quality of Group Childcare Settings Used by 3-4 Year Old Children in Sure Start Local Programme Areas and the Relationship with Child Outcomes, Research Report RR068, Department of Education
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
The government announced that children's centres in deprived areas would no longer be obliged to offer full daycare (40 hours per week), or to hire staff with both qualified teacher and early years professional status. It also announced its intention to legislate so that disadvantaged children aged 2 received 15 hours of free early education per week, starting from 2013.
Source: Speech by Sarah Teather MP (Minister for Children and Families), 16 November 2010
Links: Text of speech | DE press release | ATL press release | Daycare Trust press release | NCMA press release | Children & Young People Now report (1) | Children & Young People Now report (2) | Children & Young People Now report (3) | Nursery World report | Working Mums Magazine report
Date: 2010-Nov
A report for the equal rights watchdog said that a lack of affordable childcare was a barrier to paid employment for too many parents. Around 1 in 5 parents who paid for childcare say that they struggled to meet their childcare costs. This proportion was significantly higher among lone parents, families with low incomes, and those living in deprived areas. In England, 28 per cent of non-working parents said that they were not working because of inadequate childcare provision. More than one-half of non-working lone mothers said that they would prefer to work if they could find good-quality, affordable, and reliable childcare.
Source: Verity Campbell-Barr and Alison Garnham, Childcare: A Review of What Parents Want, Research Report 66, Equality and Human Rights Commission | Working Better: Childcare Matters – Improving choices and chances for parents and children, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | EHRC policy statement | EHRC press release | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Nov
Researchers examined how the take-up of early years provision varied by different dimensions of disadvantage, and the main barriers experienced by disadvantaged families. Low knowledge of the availability and quality of local childcare providers appeared to constitute a particular barrier to the use of early years provision for highly disadvantaged families.
Source: Svetlana Speight, Ruth Smith and Eva Lloyd with Cathy Coshall, Towards Universal Early Years Provision: Analysis of take-up by disadvantaged families from recent annual childcare surveys, Research Report RR066, Department for Education
Links: Report | Brief | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Nov
The government announced that the Children's Workforce Development Council – the quango responsible for training people who worked with children – was to be abolished.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 16 November 2010, column 38WS, House of Commons Hansard/TSO
Links: Hansard | Letter | ADCS press release | Public Finance report | Community Care report
Date: 2010-Nov
A survey examined the opinions of parents on a range of issues focusing on their role as parents, and in particular their confidence as parents and their views about the services that they or their children used. The proportion of parents who felt that the childcare services that they had received had improved their parenting skills or confidence had increased (up from 53 per cent in 2009 to 66 per cent in 2010).
Source: Mark Peters, Gareth Edwards and Erica Garnett, Parental Opinion Survey 2010, Research Report RR061, Department for Education
Date: 2010-Nov
A report examined the views of grandparents who faced challenging family situations. Grandparents who provided kinship care, or who lost contact with their grandchildren, did so at considerable cost to their health and relationships. Of those offering full-time kinship care, 55 per cent said that their physical health had worsened; 70 per cent said that their sleep patterns had deteriorated; and 40 per cent admitted that their mental health had suffered.
Source: Bob Broad, Grandparents' Voices, Grandparents Association
Links: Summary | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Oct
The government began consultation on proposals to introduce new national insurance credits for grandparents and certain other adult family members who provided familial childcare for children under the age of 12, from the 2011-12 tax year.
Source: National Insurance Credits Changes – Public Consultation, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Consultation document | DWP press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Oct
The coalition government announced (in its 2010 Spending Review) that non-schools spending by the Department for Education would be cut by 12 per cent in real terms by 2014-15. There would be a reduction in the percentage of childcare costs that people could recover through the working tax credit from 80 per cent to 70 per cent. Couples with children would have to work for at least 24 hours per week between them in order to be eligible for the working tax credit (rather than at least one working 16 hours). But there would be an increase in the child element of working tax credit above indexation by a further £30 in 2011-12 and £50 in 2012-13 (in addition to the £150 and £60 increases announced in the 'emergency' June 2010 Budget). Clawback of child benefit for families with someone paying the higher rate of income tax (announced earlier in October 2010) would affect 1.5 million families, rather than the 1.2 million originally thought – with the estimated savings from the measure increasing from £1 billion to £2.5 billion (from 2013 onwards).
Source: Spending Review 2010, Cm 7942, HM Treasury/TSO
Links: Report | Summary | Hansard | HMT press releases | Action for Children press release | CLS press release | CPAG press release | Daycare Trust press release | ECP press release | Employers for Childcare press release | 4Children press release | NCB press release | NCMA press release | NCT press release | Working Families press release | Children & Young People Now report (1) | Children & Young People Now report (2) | Community Care report (1) | Community Care report (2) | Guardian report | Nursery World report
Date: 2010-Oct
Researchers examined the outcomes of the 'Care to Learn' programme, which supported young parents to continue their education by covering the costs of childcare while they undertook a programme of learning. Most young parents surveyed would not have been able to continue or return to training without the support provided.
Source: Timothy Riley et al., The Impact of Care to Learn: Tracking the destinations of young parents funded in 2008/09, 2007/08 and 2006/07, Young People's Learning Agency
Date: 2010-Oct
A study found that most practitioners were enthusiastic about the Early Years Foundation Stage framework: but it raised concerns about 'huge discrepancies' in the levels of support provided for nursery workers and childminders.
Source: Liz Brooker, Sue Rogers, Daisy Ellis, Elaine Hallett and Guy Roberts-Holmes, Practitioners' Experiences of the Early Years Foundation Stage, Research Report RR029, Department for Education
Links: Report | IOE press release | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Sep
An article estimated the monetary value of the childcare provided by parents to children aged 0-13.
Source: Killian Mullan, 'Valuing parental childcare in the United Kingdom', Feminist Economics, Volume 16 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Sep
Researchers examined a pilot designed to improve the range and quality of childcare for families of disabled children, focusing on the issues of parent participation and workforce development.
Source: Patricia Jessiman et al., Disabled Children s Access to Childcare (DCATCH): Process evaluation of participation and workforce development activity in the DCATCH pilots, Research Report RR013, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jul
A report examined the approaches of the different nations of the UK relating to childcare policy and legislation. It highlighted a 'lack of leadership and ownership' in relation to the issue of childcare in Northern Ireland.
Source: Rachel Dennison, Sarah Lowndes and Nora Smith, Sizing Up: A comparative study of childcare policies within the four regions of the UK, Employers For Childcare
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jul
A report said that grandparents in low-income families were risking financial hardship by giving up work to help look after grandchildren.
Source: Julia Griggs, Protect, Support, Provide: Examining the role of grandparents in families at risk of poverty, Grandparents Plus/Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | Summary | EHRC press release | TAEN press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Mar
The inspectorate for education and children's services published a report highlighting the factors that contributed to good outcomes for children in need in a range of different types of early years and childcare settings – including support for children with disabilities, and speech and language problems.
Source: Children in Need in Childcare: A survey of good practice, HMI 080248, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Mar
The government published a 'strategic vision' for the further transformation of maternity services and early years services. It gave a guarantee of a personal Sure Start contact for all expectant parents, and the right for parents to ask for free childcare to fit around work and other commitments.
Source: Maternity and Early Years: Making a Good Start to Family Life, Department of Health/Department for Children, Schools and Families/Prime Minister's Strategy Unit
Links: Report | Hansard | DCSF press release | NCT press release | RCOG press release
Date: 2010-Mar
A manifesto called on the next government to spend 1 per cent of national income on early childhood education and care, so that all children got the best start in life.
Source: Childcare Charter: A manifesto for early childhood education and care, Daycare Trust
Links: Manifesto
Date: 2010-Mar
An annual survey found that the cost of all types of childcare had risen in 2009 by significantly more than the rate of inflation. In England the cost of a nursery place for a child over 2 years old had risen by 5.1 per cent – almost double inflation. The average yearly expenditure on childcare was £4,576 for English parents, £4,368 for Scottish parents, and £4,056 for Welsh parents (for 25 hours nursery care per week, for a child under 2).
Source: Childcare Costs Survey 2010, Daycare Trust
Links: Report | Daycare Trust press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report | Human Resources report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2010-Feb
A think-tank report examined evidence on who used childcare vouchers. It explored how the vouchers fitted in with other forms of childcare support; how many people claimed them; and whether users were typically rich professionals or representative of all socio-economic groups. It also considered how much the policy cost the government, and how much would be saved by proposals to restrict tax relief for those on the higher rate of income tax.
Source: Joanna Konings, Childcare Vouchers: Who Benefits? An Assessment of evidence from the Family Resources Survey, Social Market Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Feb
A study examined childcare use by multiply disadvantaged families. The more disadvantage children experienced, the less likely they were to receive childcare. Parents from the most multiply disadvantaged families were more likely than others to say that they had too little information about childcare; and to hold negative views about the quality, affordability, and sufficiency of childcare places in their local area.
Source: Svetlana Speight, Ruth Smith, and Eva Lloyd, with Cathy Coshall, Families Experiencing Multiple Disadvantage: Their Use of and Views on Childcare Provision, Research Report RR191, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Report | Brief | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Jan