Children First 2006 - Promoting choice in childcare

Promoting choice in childcare

Written by Andrew Fletcher, Press & Parliamentary Manager, Pre-school Learning Alliance

Andrew Fletcher looks at how parents can be given genuine choice in childcare and explores some of the barriers to delivering the government’s vision of affordable, flexible childcare.

"Choice" is a word we are all familiar with, particularly when it comes to parents and families. It has long been a buzzword among policy-makers and early years practitioners. Delivering choice in public services is a key theme of the government’s current agenda in education, and in health and social services. Choice is contained within the title of the ten-year strategy, Choice for parents, the best start for children. And last year’s National Sure Start Month focused on the theme of “Your Children, Your Choices”.

Yet, it is often unclear whether we all mean the same thing by “choice”, especially in childcare. To the Alliance, choice means giving parents a range of childcare options from which to choose what best suits your needs and the needs of your children. This article looks at how genuine choice can be secured for parents and some of the barriers to delivering the government’s vision of affordable, flexible childcare.

The nature of early years and childcare services has changed considerably since the Alliance was set up over 40 years ago. However, throughout that time, the charity has supported settings in delivering care and education at every stage. Its achievements include support with curriculum development, family learning programmes, expansion, inspection and quality assurance to ensure the delivery of high-quality care and education. In fact, the Alliance is the only national childcare organisation that represents the full range of early years care settings, including parent and toddler groups, sessional pre-schools and settings offering full daycare. And it provides these with a unique insight into the variety of services on offer to parents.

Our work is driven by the belief that you are the first and primary educator of your child. As a result, we believe that you should have the opportunity to make an informed decision about the type of childcare that meets your needs and those of your children.

The ten-year strategy

The publication of the government’s ten-year strategy for childcare marked a new departure for early years services. For the first time, the sector has a genuine long-term commitment from government to develop and invest in the care and education of our very youngest children. The report’s central objectives are wholly supported by the Alliance – to make sure parents have choice and flexibility, increase availability, make childcare more affordable and improve its quality. However, much remains to be done to make the vision of universal, affordable childcare a reality for all parents.

Choice for parents

The Alliance has worked hard to find out what parents want, as we aim to develop the services that you need. For choice to flourish, in the long-term, we need a childcare sector that recognises parents’ different needs.
Early years and childcare is delivered by both voluntary and private sector providers that have developed over generations. These services have been supplemented by new government-maintained provision that has emerged in recent years.

Different settings offer different types of provision, meaning that early years and childcare is one of the few areas where parents and families can exercise genuine choice in the services you want and need. For some, this might be a childminder. For others, it might be a setting offering session-based care, or a breakfast or after-school club. And for others, it might be a full daycare setting, offering services throughout the working day.

In childcare, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ model. Evidence suggests that parents want a range of services and continue to access different types of provision in large numbers. The Alliance believes that parents must continue to have choice in childcare. In recent years, settings have been encouraged to offer full daycare as part of a wider aim to encourage parents back to work. While some parents want and need full daycare, it is important that other types of provision continue to go from strength to strength, to make sure families have choice and flexibility.

Genuine partnership

To continue to give parents choice, the voluntary and private sectors must be strong and vibrant. The voluntary sector has much to offer in the development of new services. There are many examples of voluntary settings providing management and childcare in children’s centres, neighbourhood nurseries and extended schools. These programmes are founded on strong partnerships between local authorities, schools and providers. Indeed, in many areas, Alliance member settings may be the only local provider, offering parents and families a range of vital services.

The new duty on local authorities to provide enough childcare is a welcome development, as is the commitment to work in close partnership with private and voluntary sectors. It is crucial that this new duty is enforced from the start, that local authorities receive clear direction in the development of services and that government reserves the power to take action where partnership haven’t been forged. Only genuine partnership between commissioners and providers will ensure a flexible range of services, delivering real choice for parents.

Long-term sustainability

Early years education and childcare has seen unprecedented levels of investment in recent years, which has enabled new services to develop and existing provision to expand. The nursery education grant (NEG) has helped to support parents accessing childcare and helped providers to plan more effectively for the future.
This unprecedented expansion has provided a new challenge of sustainability in the long-term. Investment in NEG, neighbourhood nurseries and children’s centres will be undermined if new and expanded provision becomes unsustainable. It is vital, therefore, that the ten-year commitment to childcare is matched by a commitment to fund universal childcare for the long-term and that providers continue to access support.

A workforce for the 21st century

The recruitment and retention of an expanded, trained workforce is one of the most pressing issues facing the sector. The government estimates a shortage of around 180,000 childcare workers and has consulted widely on a Children’s Workforce Strategy to develop a new professional childcare role, complete with the appropriate skills and qualifications.

Clear definition of the key responsibilities of the role is needed, which should strike a suitable balance between the care and education elements of working with young children. The proposed new qualifications framework must accredit prior learning and experience and develop individuals from within the existing workforce, as well as new entrants.

Crucially, pay and conditions in the early years sector must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Low pay equates with low status. Until a coherent pay structure is set up, linked to qualifications, experience and responsibility, there will always be a loss of experienced people working in voluntary sector-funded childcare. Indeed, career pathways through the voluntary and private sectors must be given equal status. Otherwise, providers risk losing staff (that they have recruited and trained) to the private sector.

Further information
You can find information about childcare in your area via your local Children’s Information Service (CIS). All CISs in England can provide informed and unbiased guidance on choosing childcare locally. For more information, visit http://www.dfes.gov.uk or contact your local authority.

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