A report examined childcare costs for claimants of universal credit. It outlined concerns regarding proposed changes from 2014 and said that universal credit claimants should receive at least 85 per cent support with their childcare costs.
Source: Citizens Advice Briefing: Support for childcare costs in universal credit, Citizens Advice
Links: Report | Summary | Citizens Advice press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined the impact of universal credit on households with children. It said that there would be 'winners' and 'losers' under universal credit, and called for benefit changes to made alongside efforts to address low pay and childcare costs. Recommendations included: adoption of the living wage; reductions in benefit taper rates; and payment of 85 per cent of childcare costs for those workers who would receive universal credit.
Source: Improving Work Incentives under Universal Credit and Tackling Low Pay, Save the Children
Links: Report | SCF press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A study examined employment trends among couples with children. It looked at four areas affecting their employment rate: family leave; childcare; the labour market; and the tax and benefit system. The final report said that, although employment levels were expected to rise considerably over the next decade, the impact on poverty would be muted unless it became easier for both partners in a couple to work. The report called for: a second-earner disregard in universal credit; greater provision of affordable childcare; and the promotion of more flexible patterns of work for fathers.
Source: Kayte Lawton and Spencer Thompson, Tackling In-Work Poverty by Supporting Dual Earning Families, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | JRF press release | 4Children press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
The government published its response to the consultation on shared parental leave. The associated government powers would be included in the Children and Families Bill 2013. The details, including a right for mothers and fathers to be able to share parental leave, would be incorporated into subsequent regulations.
Source: Consultation on the Administration of Shared Parental Leave and Pay: Government response, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Response | DBIS press release | CBI press release | Daycare Trust press release | NCT press release | PACEY press release | TUC press release | Working Families press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Telegraph report I | Telegraph report II
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the labour market situations of women with very young children in relation to labour market institutions and policies (especially childcare and leave schemes) in twenty-four European countries. The article said there were links between some national policy variables and women's behaviour, in spite of individual factors explaining labour market situations the most. Women's employment was found to be positively related to formal childcare and to characteristics of national labour market regimes.
Source: Christine Erhel and Mathilde Guergoat-Lariviere, 'Labor market regimes, family policies, and women's behavior in the EU', Feminist Economics, Volume 19 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the factors that influenced the decisions of new parents in Northern Ireland about taking maternity and paternity leave. It also explored parents' opinions about shared parental leave and the choices they made about employment after the birth of a child.
Source: Rachel Dennison, Managing Expectations: A survey of new mums and dads, Employers For Childcare Charitable Group
Links: Report | ECCG press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the availability, quality, and affordability of out-of-school services for school-going children in European countries.
Source: Janneke Plantenga and Chantal Remery, Childcare Services for School Age Children: A comparative review of 33 countries, European Union Expert Group on Gender and Employment (European Commission)
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Sep
The coalition government announced that free early education for children at age 2 (also referred to as 'free childcare') would be extended from September 2014 to families in England who earned less than £16,910 per year and received working tax credit. As a result the proportion of children eligible to receive free care (of up to 15 hours per week) was set to double from 20 to 40 per cent, or 260,000 in total.
Source: Speech by Nick Clegg MP (Deputy Prime Minister), 2 September 2013
Links: Speech | DE press release | Action for Children press release | Childrens Partnership press release | Childrens Society press release | 4Children press release | Labour Party press release | NCB press release | NCT press release | NDNA press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined the impact of public policy on personal and household services (including childcare) in the European Union. It considered tools aimed at encouraging formal employment and discouraging undeclared work. It analyzed the impact of policy in terms of job creation, black market share, cost efficiency, and redistribution.
Source: Nicolas Farvaque (with Andrea Broughton, Stefanie Ledermaier, Melinda Kelemen, Eckhard Voss, and Martina Wagner), Developing Personal and Household Services in the EU: A focus on housework activities, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Sep
A report highlighted the views, voices, and experiences of parents across Scotland about using childcare, particularly those living on low incomes. There was a general view that the costs of childcare were too high, that it was not available at the right times or in the right places, and that it could be very inflexible.
Source: Euan Lloyd, Give Us a Hand with Childcare: 10 key messages from parents in Scotland, Save the Children
Links: Report | SACR press release | BBC report | Scotsman report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined English childcare policy over the period 1960-2000. Although there had been cross-party support in principle for early years education, this had not translated into policy action. Early years care, on the other hand, had been actively opposed (other than for children 'at risk') because of ideas about the importance of maternal care in the 1960s and 1970s, and strong political opposition to state involvement in childcare in the 1980s and most of the 1990s. As a result, the mixed economy of childcare had been effectively strengthened over the whole period. Nor had this been changed by New Labour's intervention (after 1997) in childcare. However, the increasing complexity of provision had resulted in a more united campaign for a national strategy. New Labour's willingness to take responsibility for developing childcare policy and to spend more public money on it had been the most important change in the late 1990s.
Source: Jane Lewis, 'Continuity and change in English childcare policy 1960-2000', Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 20 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
A think-tank report said that extra support for childcare costs was skewed towards comparatively wealthier households, even among those who would qualify for universal credit. Higher-earning families under universal credit would have 85 per cent of their childcare costs paid, whereas lower-earning families would be able to recover only 70 per cent. The result was that financial incentives to work, taking into account the costs of childcare, were 'dramatically worse' for a lower-paid second earner – undermining a central principle of universal credit, that work should always pay.
Source: Giselle Cory, All Work and No Pay: Second earners work incentives and childcare costs under universal credit, Resolution Foundation
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Aug
The government began consultation on proposals for a tax-free childcare scheme, starting in autumn 2015. The new scheme would cover 20 per cent – equivalent to the basic rate of tax – of working families' childcare costs up to a limit of £6,000 per year per child, i.e. £1,200. To be eligible for the scheme, families would need to have both parents in work, with each earning less than £150,000 per year, and would not already be receiving support through tax credits (or universal credit in the future) or the existing employer-supported childcare scheme. The scheme would operate through online voucher accounts. The government said that, once fully up and running, the scheme would be available to up to 2.5 million families.
Source: Tax-Free Childcare: Consultation on Design and Operation, HM Treasury/HM Revenue & Customs
Links: Consultation document | HMT press release | Barnardos press release | Carers UK press release | Contact a Family press release | 4Children press release | Gingerbread press release | JRF press release | NDNA press release | PACEY press release | Policy Exchange blog post | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Nursery World report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Aug
A report examined the coalition government announcement that it would increase funding for childcare under the new universal credit system by an extra £200 million from 2016, targeting the additional funding on parents earning enough to pay tax. The report said that the extra money should instead be distributed evenly by increasing support for all parents – because this would better meet the objectives of universal credit, of simplifying the system and making work pay. Providing support for 78 per cent of childcare costs for all universal credit claimants would be the simplest and most effective solution that kept closest to the allocated budget of £200 million.
Source: Childcare Costs in Universal Credit: A better way to allocate the additional money committed in the 2013 Budget, Citizens Advice
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Aug
The inspectorate for education and children's services published the result of consultation on changes to the inspection framework aimed at improving the quality of early years provision. It said that only provision that was 'good' or better should be considered good enough for very young children. From November 2013, a judgement of 'requires improvement' would replace the existing 'satisfactory' judgement – as it had already for schools and colleges.
Source: Good Early Years Provision for All: A Report on the Responses to the Consultation, HMI 130196, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | NDNA press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Notes: Consultation document (April 2013)
Date: 2013-Aug
The coalition government published plans designed to help families in England meet the costs of childcare, increase the amount of affordable provision, and give parents the right information so they could make informed choices about childcare. It included specific measures to: help schools to offer affordable after-school and holiday care, either alone or working with private and voluntary providers; enable nurseries to expand by reducing red tape and removing planning restrictions; ensure that childminders and nurseries that are good or outstanding can automatically receive government funding for children aged 2-4; and support parents to access more informal care.
Source: More Affordable Childcare, Department for Education
Links: Report | Hansard | ATL press release | Childrens Society press release | 4Children press release | Gingerbread press release | NAHT press release | NCB press release | PACEY press release | TUC press release | Voice press release | Working Families press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined how structural aspects of childcare and early education provision affected the longer-term educational achievement of children in 15 developed (OECD) countries plus the United Kingdom.
Source: Chris Pascal, Tony Bertram, Sean Delaney, and Carol Nelson, A Comparison of International Childcare Systems, Research Report 269, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jul
A paper examined the effects that the lack of childcare and care facilities for other dependants had on the career choices and situation of young men and women in the labour market in Europe, with a particular focus on the effects of the crisis on the accessibility of those services.
Source: Daphne Ahrendt, Robert Anderson, Jean-Marie Jungblut, Daniel Molinuevo, Eszter Sandor, Adi Buxbaum, and Sybille Pirklbauer, Caring for Children and Dependants: Effect on Careers of Young Workers, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jul
A think-tank report examined the impact of the coalition government's proposed reforms of childcare on the childminding sector, based on a survey of childminders. There was a strong desire to boost the quality and status of the profession, driven by the sector: but this was in conflict with some specific government proposals, which had been designed with the intention of making childminding more attractive by relaxing or reducing regulation. Childminders rejected several elements of the reforms because of fears that they would damage the quality of provision and the perception of their profession.
Source: Imogen Parker, Early Years Reform: Childminders' Responses to Government Proposals, Institute for Public Policy Research
Date: 2013-Jul
The Welsh Government published a 10-year plan designed to close the gap between the most and least disadvantaged children, focusing on children s and family services for children aged 0-7. It promised more support and encouragement for parents to be involved in their children s learning, and the development of a more consistent approach to tracking a child s development.
Source: Building a Brighter Future: Early years and childcare plan, Welsh Government
Links: Plan | Welsh Government press release | CLS press release
Date: 2013-Jul
The government began consultation on proposals to reform the regulatory system for childcare providers. It sought to remove 'burdens' and simplify processes, and proposed replacing the general childcare register with a child safety register.
Source: The Regulation of Childcare, Department for Education
Links: Consultation document | Annex
Date: 2013-Jul
A report summarized a set of five papers that examined the policies of the former Labour government (1997-2010), charting their impact on the distribution of outcomes, and on poverty and inequality. Labour had set out an ambitious agenda to improve outcomes overall, narrow socio-economic gaps, and modernize public services:
Public spending went up from 39.5 to 47.4 per cent of national income. This was a large rise: but until the 2008 global crisis, spending levels were unexceptional by historic standards.
The extra spending went mainly on services. Health and education both increased as a proportion of all public spending.
Nearly all the extra cash spent on benefits went on children and pensioners. Benefits for working-age people unrelated to having children fell as a proportion of national income.
Access and quality in public services improved, including waiting times for health services and pupil-teacher ratios.
Outcomes improved and gaps closed on virtually all the socio-economic indicators targeted, such as poverty for children and pensioners, and school attainment.
But there was no progress in some areas that were not subject to explicit targets: poverty for working-age people without children rose; there was no real change in levels of income inequality; and disparities in regional economic performance persisted.
Source: Ruth Lupton (with John Hills, Kitty Stewart, and Polly Vizard), Labour s Social Policy Record: Policy, spending and outcomes 1997-2010, Social Policy in a Cold Climate Research Report 1, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (London School of Economics)
Links: Report | Supplementary paper | Nuffield Foundation press release | Guardian report
Notes: Details of individual papers:
Polly Vizard and Polina Obolenskaya, Labour s Record on Health (1997-2010), Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper 2
Ruth Lupton and Polina Obolenskaya, Labour s Record on Education: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010, Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper 3
Kitty Stewart, Labour s Record on the Under Fives: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010, Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper 4
John Hills, Labour s Record on Cash Transfers, Poverty, Inequality and the Lifecycle 1997-2010, Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper 5
Ruth Lupton, Alex Fenton, and Amanda Fitzgerald, Labour s Record on Neighbourhood Renewal in England: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010, Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper 6
Date: 2013-Jun
The Deputy Prime Minister (Nick Clegg MP) reportedly told journalists that coalition government plans to allow nurseries and childminders in England to increase the ratio of children to carers were being dropped, following the results of consultation. The decision was subsequently confirmed by the responsible minister during debate on the Children and Families Bill.
Source: BBC report, 6 June 2013 | Debate 11 June 2013, column 224, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: BBC report (1) | Hansard | Action for Children press release | ATL press release | FCT press release | 4Children press release | NAHT press release | NDNA press release | NUT press release | BBC report (2) | Guardian report | New Statesman report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report provided an overview of early childhood education and care provision in Scotland, England, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Slovenia, France, and the Netherlands. It considered national frameworks, guiding principles and objectives, governance, types of services, types of providers, funding and costs, systems of quality assurance, and access levels.
Source: Ingela Naumann, Caitlin McLean, Alison Koslowski, Kay Tisdall, and Eva Lloyd, Early Childhood Education and Care Provision: International Review of Policy, Delivery and Funding, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report by a committee of MSPs called on the Scottish Government to set a timetable for the introduction of a statutory right to childcare that included children up to the age of 15 and disabled children. It said that such a move, along with more flexible working patterns, could transform women's access to work.
Source: Women and Work, 4th Report 2013, SP Paper 348, Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release | SCMA press release | Working Families press release | BBC report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Jun
The Children and Families Bill was given a third reading. The Bill was designed to (among other things): reform the adoption system; introduce greater flexibility in parental leave arrangements; reform the system of special educational needs; strengthen the role of the children's rights watchdog; cut delays in the family justice system; and reduce regulation of the childcare sector. However, plans to allow nurseries and childminders in England to increase the ratio of children to carers were dropped.
Source: Children and Families Bill, Department for Education, TSO | Debate 11 June 2013, columns 175-294, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard
Date: 2013-Jun
A report by the European Commission said that most European Union countries had missed the targets agreed in 2002 for the availability and accessibility of childcare services. It called for greater investment in high-quality services.
Source: Barcelona Objectives: The development of childcare facilities for young children in Europe with a view to sustainable and inclusive growth, European Commission
Links: Report | EWL press release
Date: 2013-Jun
The coalition government published (following a freedom of information request) two papers examining the costs and benefits of proposed changes to staff:child childcare ratios. The papers suggested that the cost of childcare could be cut by as much as 28 per cent if the ratios of children to staff were raised.
Source: The Implications of Adult-Child Ratios for Childcare Providers, Department for Education | Impact of More Flexible Ratios on Costs to Parents, Department for Education
Links: Paper (1) | Paper (2) | Guardian report
Date: 2013-May
An article examined how the transformation of party systems structured childcare policy in 'advanced' industrialized countries. Political parties contended with one another over childcare and female employment policy on the social-value dimension as well as the redistributive dimension. A government's redistributive left-right policy position interacted with its social liberal-conservative policy position. A left-liberal government raised its budget for childcare services, whereas a left-conservative government did not.
Source: Takeshi Hieda, 'Politics of childcare policy beyond the left right scale: post-industrialisation, transformation of party systems and welfare state restructuring', European Journal of Political Research, Volume 52 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
Four leading researchers said that the coalition government's proposals for reforming childcare could lead to an unintended reduction in quality. They described as 'very worrying' proposals to reduce the quality improvement role played by local authorities in England.
Source: Naomi Eisenstadt, Kathy Sylva, Sandra Mathers, and Brenda Taggart, More Great Childcare: Research Evidence, Publisher unknown
Links: Paper | Nursery World report
Date: 2013-Apr
The inspectorate for education and children's services began consultation on changes to the inspection framework aimed at improving the quality of early years provision. Inspection evidence had shown that nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders were not improving quickly enough. Almost 22 per cent of the places available in the sector were in services that were not yet rated as 'good'. Poor-quality early years care and education was a particular problem in the most deprived areas. From September 2013, only a 'good' or better standard of early years provision would be deemed acceptable.
Source: Good Early Years Provision for All, HMI 130133, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Consultation document | OFSTED press release | PACEY press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Nursery World report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Apr
The Scottish Government published the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill. Children aged 3-4 would be entitled to 600 hours of funded early learning and childcare (up from 475 hours) as would looked-after children aged 2, and those with a kinship care order. Every child and young person would have a named person from birth responsible for safeguarding their well-being, working with other bodies as required. Kinship carers would be provided with more support from local authorities.
Source: Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Scottish Government press release | Cosla press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Apr
A new book examined the reconciliation of work and care including not only childcare but also the support of partners, older relatives, and disabled or seriously ill children. It considered the changing welfare and labour market policies that shaped the lives of working carers in Finland, Sweden, Australia, England, Japan, and Taiwan.
Source: Teppo Kroger and Sue Yeandle (eds), Combining Paid Work and Family Care: Policies and experiences in international perspective, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Apr
The equality watchdog in Northern Ireland said that the costs of childcare made up around 44 per cent of an average income compared with the United Kingdom overall figure of 33 per cent, and 12 per cent across the European Union. The availability of appropriate childcare did not match demand, particularly for families in rural areas or those with children with disabilities.
Source: Ronald McQuaid, Helen Graham, and Marina Shapira, Childcare: Maximising the Economic Participation of Women, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
Links: Report | ECNI press release
Date: 2013-Mar
The coalition government announced a new scheme for tax-free childcare for working families. Once fully operational, the scheme would be worth up to £1,200 per annum per child. It would be phased in from autumn 2015 and would ultimately be open to around 2.5 million families with children under 12. From the first year of operation, all children under 5 would be eligible. To be eligible, families would have to have all parents in work, with each earning less than £150,000 per year, and not already receiving support through tax credits and (later) universal credit. They would receive 20 per cent of their yearly childcare costs up to £6,000 per child.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 19 March 2013, columns 37-38WS, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | HMT press release | HOC research brief | Action for Children press release | Barnardos press release | Childrens Society press release | CPAG press release | FPI press release | 4Children press release | Gingerbread press release | Labour Party press release | NCT press release | NDNA press release | NEF blog post | Resolution Foundation press release | Working Families press release | BBC report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Nursery World report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Mar
The coalition government began consultation on proposals to reform the role of English local authorities in early education and childcare. It proposed to limit the extra conditions that local authorities could place on private, voluntary, and independent providers in order for them to qualify for funding to deliver places; and to remove the duty on local authorities to secure information, advice, and training for childcare providers.
Source: Consultation on Proposed Changes to the Role of the Local Authority in Early Education and Childcare, Department for Education
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2013-Mar
The Children and Families Bill was published, and subsequently given a second reading. The Bill was designed to (among other things): reform the adoption system; introduce greater flexibility in parental leave arrangements; reform the system of special educational needs; strengthen the role of the children's rights watchdog; cut delays in the family justice system; and reduce regulation of the childcare sector.
Source: Children and Families Bill, Department for Education, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard (second reading) | Background document | DE press release | Speech | HOC research brief | Barnardos press release | CBI press release | CSW press release | EDCM press release | Fawcett Society press release | FPI press release | Labour Party press release | Mencap press release | NAHT press release | Nasen press release | NIACE press release | NUT press release | OCC press release | Scope press release | Working Families press release | Community Care report | Nursery World report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined non-parental childcare use and maternal employment among children living in lone and co-parent family situations at ages 3 and 4, and emotional and behavioural difficulties at ages 4 and 5. Negative outcomes associated with lone motherhood were explained largely by mother's age, education, material circumstances, and area deprivation. Maternal employment did not relieve lone mothers' disadvantages in a way that alleviated the risks of difficulties to their children. However, in any family constellation, mainly group-based formal pre-school childcare did have a positive impact on child difficulties compared with drawing on informal childcare arrangements as the main provider. Any non-parental childcare formal or informal for at least 25 hours per week was beneficial.
Source: Hannah Zagel, Gitit Kadar-Satat, Myrthe Jacobs, and Anthony Glendinning, 'The effects of early years childcare on child emotional and behavioural difficulties in lone and co-parent family situations', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 42 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A technical paper presented key results and data tables from a government survey of families on childcare and work. The survey was designed to gain insights into the relationship between the type of childcare used by different families and their work patterns. The use of childcare increased with household income, with formal childcare arrangements (either on their own or supplementing informal care) being used more as income and household working hours increased.
Source: Ingun Borg and Andrew Stocks, A Survey of Childcare and Work Decisions among Families with Children, Working Paper 114, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Working paper
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined the relationship between parents' education and the time devoted to childcare activities in Spain and the United Kingdom, with a focus on activities aimed at increasing the child's human capital. Mothers' education was associated with an increase in the time devoted to educational childcare by fathers in both countries, and with an increase in the time devoted to educational childcare by mothers in Spain. Fathers' education had no effect on the time devoted to educational childcare by either parent.
Source: Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal and Jose Alberto Molina, 'Parents education as a determinant of educational childcare time', Journal of Population Economics, Volume 26 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
A paper examined the child-centred investment strategy in European countries, under which the provision of childcare services was expected to increase maternal employment rates, further children's human capital, and mitigate social inequalities in early life. In order to be effective, childcare services should cover all social groups, in particular children from a disadvantaged background: but in nearly all countries this condition was not met. Childcare was often used at low or moderate levels, and children from low-income families participated to a much lesser extent than children from high-income families.
Source: Wim Van Lancker, Putting the Child-Centred Investment Strategy to the Test: Evidence for the EU27, Working Paper 12/13, Centre for Social Policy (Antwerp University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
The coalition government published its proposals (in response to the Nutbrown review) for achieving a more professional early years workforce in England, and improving the quality of provision. Nurseries and childminders in England would be allowed to look after more children, provided carers' qualifications met new standards. Ratios for children aged 2 would rise from 4 children per adult to 6; and for children aged 1 or under from 3 children per adult to 4.
Source: More Great Childcare: Raising quality and giving parents more choice, Department for Education
Links: Report | Consultation document | Hansard | DE press release | Speech | Action for Children press release | CBI press release | Childrens Society press release | 4Children press release | FPI/Daycare Trust press release | Gingerbread press release | IEA blog post | Labour Party press release | NAHT press release | NASUWT press release | NCMA press release | NDNA press release | NUT press release | TUC press release | BBC report | Guardian report | New Scientist report | Nursery World report (1) | Nursery World report (2) | Public Finance report
Notes: Nutbrown report
Date: 2013-Jan
A report said that high childcare costs made it impossible for some of the poorest families to strive their way out of poverty. Many parents earned nothing extra from working extra hours, or even effectively paid for the privilege of doing so. The report called on the coalition government to increase the proportion of childcare costs covered under the new universal credit system, and to examine an extension of the free early years entitlement from 15 hours to 20 (or more) for disadvantaged children.
Source: Paying to Work: Childcare and child poverty, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jan
A paper examined the relative association between the (paid) work hours of mothers/fathers and two different levels of paternal involvement in childcare: fathers taking on the primary role in childcare, and fathers sharing it equally with a partner. Mothers' work hours were found to have the strongest, longitudinal association with paternal involvement in childcare suggesting that ways of working in the first year of a child's life had some bearing on paternal involvement when the child was older. Mothers' work hours were also more strongly associated with paternal involvement when the child was aged three but only when the father also worked full-time. The effect of mothers working full time was reversed when the father worked part time or not at all, suggesting a complete gender role reversal was incompatible with father involvement.
Source: Helen Norman, Mark Elliot, and Colette Fagan, An Investigation of the Predictors of Paternal Involvement, Working Paper 2013-04, Centre for Census and Survey Research (University of Manchester)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
A think-tank report highlighted the inequality in government-funded nursery provision for pre-school children, and called for a simple change to the system that would make it fair and equal. Nursery education should begin at a fixed point in the year, rather than when a child reached the age of 3.
Source: Ben Thomson, Geoff Mawdsley, and Alison Payne, An Equal Start: Fair access to nursery provision, Reform Scotland
Links: Report | Summary | Scotsman report
Date: 2013-Jan
A think-tank report said that the most affluent areas received almost twice the level of top-quality childcare provision as the most deprived areas. It called for the government to improve the quality of early years teaching by: extending the Teach First scheme to early years in order to attract bright graduates, especially in the most deprived areas; improving the accountability of local authority oversight of provision, by ensuring that their inspections and monitoring visits were publicly available; and increasing the childcare element of working tax credits, using savings made from introducing an online childcare account system for all working parents.
Source: Harriet Waldegrave, Quality Childcare: Improving early years childcare, Policy Exchange
Links: Report | Policy Exchange press release | Guardian report | Nursery World report
Date: 2013-Jan