The Role of Children's Centres

The National Children's Bureau has today published a set of essays which should be of interest to most readers of this site. <i>Partnerships for a Better Start: Perspectives on the Role of Children's Centres</i> contains contributions from several leading early years figures, including Dame Clare Tickell, with each one offering their thoughts on the future of children's centres in the UK. The collection will be useful to all stakeholders in the early years sector, and can be read in full by <a href="http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/1092182/partnerships_for_a_better_start.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.

The Role of Children's Centres

The National Children's Bureau has today published a set of essays which should be of interest to most readers of this site. Partnership...

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International Reports

3 separate recently published international reports have popped up in my feeds today, which seems as good an excuse as any for a themed blog post.<br /><ul><li>The European Commission has published <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/130910_egge_out_of_school_en.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare Services for School Aged Children</i></a>, which compares provision across 33 different countries.</li></ul><ul><li> On a similar note, the Commission has also recently updated <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/facts_and_figures/education_structures_EN.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Structure of the European Education Systems</i></a>, which provides an easy to view breakdown of the different systems in use across the continent.</li></ul><ul><li> The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation has just published <a href="http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer/2013/09/10/wp_20.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Quality Education for All Children? What Works in Education in Developing Countries</i></a>.</li></ul> If you're interested in international children's issues, other recent reports which may interest you include the DfE's <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212564/DFE-RR269.pdf" target="_blank"><i>A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</i></a>, the OECD's <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag2013%20%28eng%29--FINAL%2020%20June%202013.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Education At a Glance 2013</i></a>, and UNICEF's <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc2013/files/SWCR2013_ENG_Lo_res_24_Apr_2013.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The State of the World's Children 2013</i></a>.

International Reports

3 separate recently published international reports have popped up in my feeds today, which seems as good an excuse as any for a themed blog...

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Best Practice for a Sure Start

Yesterday saw the publication of <i>Best Practice for a Sure Start: The Way Forward for Children’s Centres</i>. This is a detailed report from the All Party Parliamentary Sure Start Group, and states 3 aims: <br /><ol><li>To highlight best practice gathered as a result of the inquiry sessions held by the Group, and disseminate it as widely as possible.</li><li>To reflect on the current position of Sure Start Children’s Centres, given changes to both the policy and funding context.</li><li>To make recommendations for the future which will ensure that Sure Start Children’s Centres are able to make a significant contribution to improving the life chances of our children.</li></ol>So whether you're working in or researching the early years sector, it should make for relevant reading! You can read the full report by <a href="http://www.4children.org.uk/Files/cffc42fe-49eb-43e2-b330-a1fd00b8077b/Best-Practice-for-a-Sure-Start.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.

Best Practice for a Sure Start

Yesterday saw the publication of Best Practice for a Sure Start: The Way Forward for Children’s Centres . This is a detailed report from the...

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More Affordable Childcare

Looks like I may have jumped the gun with my previous post! The DfE has also just published <i>More Affordable Childcare</i>, which contains the government's proposals to improve the supply of childcare in the future - this follows on from <i>More Great Childcare</i>, which was published in January (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/more-great-childcare.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>).<br /><br />The new policy paper is likely to be debated heavily in the news over the next few days, so inform yourself by accessing the full text of the report <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212671/More_Affordable_Childcare.pdf" target="_blank">from here</a>, and you can also read Minister <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/more-affordable-childcare" target="_blank">Liz Truss' supporting statement</a>.<br /><br />UPDATE: <i>Nursery World</i> have now provided an excellent summary of the key points - <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/article/1191396/affordable-childcare-key-points" target="_blank">click here</a> to view - and a further article on initial childcare <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/article/1191431/affordable-childcare-sector-reaction" target="_blank">sector reaction</a>.

More Affordable Childcare

Looks like I may have jumped the gun with my previous post! The DfE has also just published More Affordable Childcare , which contains the g...

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New from Department for Education

It's obviously a busy day at the Department for Education - it's only 10 o'clock and already they've released a number of research reports and other documents. There are too many to list here, so here are some of the highlights:<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212564/DFE-RR269.pdf" target="_blank"><i>A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</i></a> attempts to identify patterns between different preschool approaches and later educational outcomes.</li><li> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212589/DFE-RR266.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Parents' Views and Experiences of Childcare</i></a> reports on a telephone survey of parents and makes suggestions as to how provision can be improved.</li><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212614/DFE-RR285.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Evidence to Inform the Childcare Commission</i></a> is made up of 3 separate reports of information submitted to the Childcare Commission since its establishment in June 2012.</li><li>Finally, the DfE has opened a new consultation on childcare regulation; if you'd like to contribute then <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/childcare-regulation" target="_blank">here's the link</a>, responses will be received until the end of September.</li></ul>If you use RSS feeds, then drop the link below into your feed reader to get DfE reports delivered to your inbox as and when they're published:<br /><br />https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.atom?departments[]=department-for-education<br /><ul></ul>

New from Department for Education

It's obviously a busy day at the Department for Education - it's only 10 o'clock and already they've released a number of re...

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Something for Everyone

I've been away for a week, during which time a number of useful items have been published, so today's post is a quick summary of what's new:<br /><ul><li>The DfE has issued new guidance on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211646/Early_Years_Teachers__Standards.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Teachers Standards for Early Years</i></a>; these are applicable from September</li><li>On a similar note, new guidance is also available for <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211644/Early_Years_Educator_Criteria.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Early Years Educators (Level 3)</i></a></li><li>The Family and Childcare Trust has just released a <a href="http://www.familyandparenting.org/Resources/FPI/Documents/Holiday%20Childcare%20Costs%20Report_final.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Holiday Childcare Costs Survey 2013</i></a></li><li>The National Day Nurseries Association has recently published a <a href="http://www.ndna.org.uk/Resources/NDNA/Public%20Factsheets/BPS%20Insight%20Report%202013%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><i>UK Nursery Insight Report</i></a></li><li>The Sutton Trust has published <a href="http://www.suttontrust.com/public/documents/readinggap.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Reading Gap</i></a>, which looks at how children's socio-economic status impacts on their reading skills</li><li>And if I've missed anything, it's probably covered by the <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/what-we-offer/information/ontheweb/pdfs/June2013.pdf" target="_blank">latest issue of <i>On the Web</i></a>, which rounds up education reports from around the world</li></ul>

Something for Everyone

I've been away for a week, during which time a number of useful items have been published, so today's post is a quick summary of wha...

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High-Quality Early Years Provision

Ofsted has just published <i>Getting It Right First Time</i>, a new early years report which draws on a range of sources to "describe features of strong leadership and the ways in which leaders develop and sustain high-quality provision." Both full text and summary versions are available from <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/getting-it-right-first-time-achieving-and-maintaining-high-quality-early-years-provision" target="_blank">this link</a>.<br /><br />If you're interested in this area, then some suggested further reading is <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/ELCC01/ELCC01.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Highly Effective Leadership in Children’s Centres</i></a> which was published last year by the <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/" target="_blank">NFER</a>.

High-Quality Early Years Provision

Ofsted has just published Getting It Right First Time , a new early years report which draws on a range of sources to "describe feature...

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Childcare in France

If you've picked up a newspaper or watched the news in the last couple of days, then you're probably aware that the childcare minister Elizabeth Truss has made some <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2312657/A-generation-unruly-toddlers-Childcare-Minister-Elizabeth-Truss-ill-judged-claims-nursery-children-arent-taught-manners.html" target="_blank">comments regarding 'chaotic' British nurseries</a>, and argued that an approach with parallels to the French childcare system would be more beneficial. It's probably safe to say that the reaction from the early years sector in this country <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/22/tory-minister-nursery-education" target="_blank">has been largely negative</a>, but how does childcare in France compare to what's on offer in the UK? I decided to see what I could find out...<br /><br />For a quick, easy summary of the French system, there's an <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1170249/" target="_blank">excellent <i>Nursery World</i> article</a> from a couple of months back which gives an overview of issues such as ratios, staff qualifications etc. You can also look at the <a href="https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/France:Early_Childhood_Education_and_Care" target="_blank">Eurypedia page</a> relating to early childhood education and care, and the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2012%20-%20Country%20note%20-%20France%20%28EN%29.pdf" target="_blank">Country Note for France</a> from the most recent OECD <i>Education at a Glance</i> report gives an overview of educational provision there as a whole - most of the material relating to pre-primary education can be found on the first 3 pages. The French childcare model is also the subject of a short <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22279096" target="_blank">BBC news report today</a>.<br /><br />After that, it quickly became difficult to find useful items which focused specifically on France (though if you can speak French, then <a href="http://media.education.gouv.fr/file/2011/54/5/2011-108-IGEN-IGAENR_215545.pdf" target="_blank">here's the link</a> for what appears to be a detailed overview of the French system), but there are plenty of documents available which compare the early years sector in many countries, with the UK and France among the countries surveyed.<br /><br />What does become clear is that most of the reports available tend to focus on easily comparable statistics such as amount of funding, staff ratios, cost of childcare etc, rather than attempting to describe the quality of the provision on offer. A useful 2010 OECD paper entitled <a href="http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/37864559.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Quality of Childcare and Early Education Services</i></a> perhaps partially explains this by stating that "The quality of formal childcare and early education services is difficult to measure as there is no single indicator which adequately reflects the quality of service environment and the quality of interaction between staff and children."<br /><br />Nevertheless, the 2012 report <a href="http://www.managementthinking.eiu.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Starting%20Well.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World</i></a> attempts to compile a league table of preschool quality - interestingly, the UK is ranked 3 places ahead of France. It's also worth having a look at <a href="http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc8_eng.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Child Care Transition: A League Table of Early Childhood Education and Care in Economically Advanced Countries</i></a> - this is a UNICEF report from 2008 which rated French provision ahead of what is available in the UK.<br /><br />And a couple of other items to finish - you might want to read <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/thematic_reports/098EN.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe: Tackling Social and Cultural Inequalities</i></a>, which is a 2009 Eurydice report offering detailed information on early years provision in many different countries. Or you could just look at the recent <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/More%20Great%20Childcare%20v2.pdf" target="_blank"><i>More Great Childcare</i></a> proposal from the government, which mentions 'France' 25 times in just 46 pages. And by the time you've finished that lot, you'll hopefully have made up your mind about the minister's ideas...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGbfWWcZHWwljBcsKE_ZqOvBkwqzli7KMPV7rx-a0QTGd2uxci9HxqTD4M-Uy5rz82HBV5NsV6Pr6Ezl7A-iA5cDsZSxh0gor_UN-trEYDdTZNn4N_Bn-Qhk1dhKosN1QVLzaJT4o5w/s1600/FrenchChildren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGbfWWcZHWwljBcsKE_ZqOvBkwqzli7KMPV7rx-a0QTGd2uxci9HxqTD4M-Uy5rz82HBV5NsV6Pr6Ezl7A-iA5cDsZSxh0gor_UN-trEYDdTZNn4N_Bn-Qhk1dhKosN1QVLzaJT4o5w/s320/FrenchChildren.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />

Childcare in France

If you've picked up a newspaper or watched the news in the last couple of days, then you're probably aware that the childcare minist...

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Latest Childcare Developments

Posts tagged 'childcare' have begun to dominate this blog lately, but then the issues of how childcare should be delivered, how it should be funded etc have been in the headlines a lot! There have been a couple of new developments today, so here's the latest on what's going on...<br /><br />The government has announced plans to allow parents to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21833929" target="_blank">claim back up to 20% of childcare costs</a> - but not until 2015. To help you get your head around how this might work in practice, the Guardian has published a couple of very useful short articles entitled <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/mar/19/childcare-support-what-does-mean" target="_blank"><i>Childcare Support: What Does It Mean for You?</i></a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check/2013/mar/19/childcare-deal-winners-losers" target="_blank"><i>Childcare Deal: Who are the Winners and Losers?</i></a><br /><br />Also in the news, Professor Cathy Nutbrown, author of last year's Nutbrown Review (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/nutbrown-review-final-report.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details) has been <a href="http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1076667/nutbrown-scorns-government-childcare-changes" target="_blank">strongly critical of the government's plans</a> to reform early years provision, arguing that many of her recommendations have effectively been rejected. You can read her response - <i>Shaking the Foundations of Quality?</i> - in full by <a href="http://togetherforquality.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/shaking-the-foundations-of-quality-nutbrown-18th-march-2013.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.

Latest Childcare Developments

Posts tagged 'childcare' have begun to dominate this blog lately, but then the issues of how childcare should be delivered, how it s...

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Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years

Today sees the launch of a new organisation for childcare professionals, or at least the rebranding of an existing one. From now on the National Childminding Association (NCMA) will be known as the <a href="http://www.pacey.org.uk/" target="_blank">Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years</a>, in a move designed to <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1174852/NCMA-re-brands-widen-membership-include-nursery-workers/" target="_blank">allow nursery workers to become members too</a>. To mark the occasion, the new organisation has released <a href="http://www.pacey.org.uk/PDF/Childcare%20not%20just%20a%20job%20a%20vocation%20-%20FINAL_16%203%2013.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare: Not Just a Job, A Vocation</i></a>, a short report designed to "explore what childminders, nannies and nursery workers see as the benefits and challenges of their childcare profession."<br /><br />The news comes just days after the announcement that another new organisation called the <a href="http://www.icm-se.org.uk/" target="_blank">Independent Childminders Social Enterprise</a> will be launched later this month.

Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years

Today sees the launch of a new organisation for childcare professionals, or at least the rebranding of an existing one. From now on the Nati...

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Childcare Costs Survey 2013

Today sees the publication of the Daycare Trust's annual Childcare Costs survey, which examines prices charged by nurseries, childminders and after-school clubs in different parts of the UK. Already the report has generated headlines in a number of media outlets for claiming that the average <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/mar/06/childcare-costs-twice-rate-inflation" target="_blank">cost of childcare rose by more than 6% last year</a>.<br /><br />To view the full text of the report, <a href="http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/files/Research/costs_surveys/Childcare_Costs_Survey_2013.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Childcare Costs Survey 2013

Today sees the publication of the Daycare Trust's annual Childcare Costs survey, which examines prices charged by nurseries, childminder...

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More Great Childcare: a Guide

A short post today: take a look at <i>Nursery World</i>'s  <a href="http://offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/newsattachments/WRN/More%20great%20childcare.pdf" target="_blank">'More Great Childcare' - A Guide to the Government's Childcare Reform Proposals</a>, which does exactly what its title promises in a short, clear and concise manner - very useful! For more detailed info on the proposals, have a look at my <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/more-great-childcare.html" target="_blank">'More Great Childcare' post</a> from a couple of weeks back.

More Great Childcare: a Guide

A short post today: take a look at Nursery World 's  'More Great Childcare' - A Guide to the Government's Childcare Reform P...

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Early Years Surveys

The end of last week saw the latest release of two annual DfE publications with direct relevance to users of this site. The <a href="http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/m/osr18-2012v2.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2011</i></a> provides a detailed snapshot of childcare and early years provision across England, while the related <a href="http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/sfr08-2013.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2011</i></a> investigates exactly how parents are making use of the sector, and their views about the service they have received. Both documents are full of detailed statistics if numbers are your thing!

Early Years Surveys

The end of last week saw the latest release of two annual DfE publications with direct relevance to users of this site. The Childcare and Ea...

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Children and Families Bill

Today sees the publication of the long-awaited <i>Children and Families Bill</i>. Like most legislation it's a long, complex document, but the main areas it covers include adoption, family justice, special educational needs and childminders.<br /><br />You can read the full text of the Bill by <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2012-2013/0131/2013131.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. An overview of some of the proposed changes are included in <a href="http://www.communitycare.co.uk/articles/05/02/2013/118887/government-announces-major-reforms-in-children-and-families-bill.htm" target="_blank">this <i>Community Care</i> article</a>.

Children and Families Bill

Today sees the publication of the long-awaited Children and Families Bill . Like most legislation it's a long, complex document, but the...

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More Great Childcare

Today sees the long-awaited government response to the Nutbrown Review (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/nutbrown-review-final-report.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details). While it's easy to get carried away by reactions on Twitter and other social networks, I think it's safe to say that the initial verdict from professionals working in the early years sector is, to put it mildly, not a happy one. In particular, the decision to relax ratios (ie allow nurseries or childminders to look after more children per adult) has led to accusations that quality and children's safety will be compromised.<br /><br />First of all, it probably makes sense to have a look at the full text of <i>More Great Childcare: Raising Quality and Giving Parents More Choice</i>, which is the full title of the government's proposals. You can read the full text by <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/More%20Great%20Childcare%20v2.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.<br /><br />There is plenty of press coverage of the report today, with articles summarising the main points of the report. Try looking at <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21232270" target="_blank"><i>Nursery Ratios Raised to Cut Childcare Costs</i></a> from the BBC or <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/jan/29/nursery-staff-childminders-restrictions-lifted" target="_blank"><i>Childminders and Nurseries Can Look After More Children</i></a> from the Guardian.<br /><br />My post from yesterday, entitled <i><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/childcare-provision-recent-history.html" target="_blank">Childcare Provision: a Recent History</a></i>, may also be useful in providing ideas for background reading to put today's report into context. If you'd like to see those in the early years sector are saying about the report, then the weekly EYTalking discussion on Twitter tonight between 8pm - 9pm is likely to be lively! Just follow the #EYTalking hashtag.<br /><br />UPDATE: Since I originally posted this a few hours ago, several articles detailing the sector response have appeared online. Click on the links below to read reactions to the government's proposals:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/rss/1168740/Great-Childcare-Sector-overwhelmingly-opposes-ratio-changes/" target="_blank"><i>More Great Childcare: Sector Overwhelmingly Opposes Ratio Changes</i></a></li><li><i><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/jan/29/childcare-reform-proposals-fierce-criticism" target="_blank">Childcare Reform Proposals Face Fierce Criticism</a></i></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/reality-check/2013/jan/29/britain-childcare-expensive-improve-quality" target="_blank"><i>Is Britain's Childcare Expensive, and Will Reforms Improve Quality? </i></a></li></ul>

More Great Childcare

Today sees the long-awaited government response to the Nutbrown Review (see previous post for details). While it's easy to get carried ...

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Childcare Provision: a Recent History

The issue of childcare is in the news again today, following <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1168488/Early-years-sector-vents-anger-childcare-proposals-leak/" target="_blank">rumours of an imminent change to staff : child ratios</a> in early years settings, and the publication of <a href="http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/quality%20childcare.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Quality Childcare: Improving Early Years Childcare</i></a>, a new report from the Policy Exchange think tank which claims that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/jan/28/childcare-figures-deprived-areas-worse" target="_blank">childcare in deprived areas is worse</a> than that on offer in wealthier areas. The new Policy Exchange report is the latest in a spate of recent childcare reports examing issues of cost and quality, so today's post attempts to round up and make some sense of all the latest research in this area.<br /><br />To understand current government policy, it's probably worth looking at <a href="http://www.centreforum.org/assets/pubs/affordable-quality.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Affordable Quality: New Approaches to Childcare</i></a>, a brief paper written in May last year by Elizabeth Truss, the current Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for childcare. The paper advocates that the UK learn lessons from the Netherlands' model of childcare provision, leading to the publication a few months later of <a href="http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2012/10/double-dutch-childcare_Oct2012_9763.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Double Dutch: the Case Against Deregulation and Demand-Led Funding in Childcare</i></a>. This report was authored by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), and argues that the Danish model for childcare would be a more useful influence for policy in the UK.<br /><br />Many of the most recent reports on childcare focus on the affordability of providing high-quality provision, particularly in light of the austerity agenda affecting so many services. So in no particular order, publications that deal with this issue include <a href="http://www.smf.co.uk/assets/files/publications/SMF%20The%20Parent%20Trap.PDF" target="_blank"><i>The Parent Trap: Illustrating the Growing Cost of Childcare</i></a> (Social Market Foundation, Nov 11),  <a href="http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/files/Research/making_work_pay.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Making Work Pay - the Childcare Trap</i></a> (Daycare Trust, Sep 11), <a href="http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-client-groups/children-young-people/centreforsocialjustice/136648ChildcareFINAL041012.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Transforming Childcare: Changing Lives</i></a> (Centre for Social Justice, Oct 2012) <a href="http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/media/downloads/Chilcare_Report_June_2011.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare: Failing to Meet the Needs of Working Parents</i></a> (Resolution Foundation, June 2011) and <a href="http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/media/downloads/Counting_the_costs_of_childcare_1.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Counting the Costs of Childcare</i></a> (Resolution Foundation, Oct 12). While the more recent <a href="http://www.ndna.org.uk/Resources/NDNA/Generic%20Folders%202/06/business%20performance%20survey%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Nursery Sector in England, Scotland & Wales</i></a> (National Day Nurseries Association, Jan 13) views the subject from a different point of view, summarising how nurseries are performing as businesses in the current climate.<br /><br />The long-term benefits of high-quality childcare have been examined in many studies over the years. There are too many to list all of them here, but two recent(ish) reports that might interest readers include <a href="http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/earlyintervention-smartinvestment.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Early Intervention: Smart Investment, Massive Savings</i></a> (Cabinet Office, Jul 11) and <a href="http://www.managementthinking.eiu.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Starting%20Well.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World</i></a> (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2012). The latter of these actually places the UK 4th in a league table of preschool environments in 45 different countries.<br /><br />And finally, a batch of relevant reports from the DfE itself, though it should be pointed out that some of these were commissioned before the current government came into office, and so do not necessarily reflect government policy. With that in mind, try having a look at:<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR221.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2010</i></a> (Jul 12 - the next one is due next week!)</li><li><a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001088/osr18-2012.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2011</i></a> (Sep 12)</li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR217.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Exploring the Flexibility of the Free Entitlement to Early Education: Research among Parents</i></a> (Jul 12)</li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR220.pdf" target="_blank"><i>The Impact of Sure Start Local Programmes on Seven Year Olds and their Families</i></a> (Jul 12)</li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR131.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Rolling Out Free Early Education for Disadvantaged Two Year Olds: an Implementation Study for Local Authorities and Providers</i></a> (Jul 11)</li></ul>That's about as comprehensive a collection of reports from the last couple of years that I can manage. But if you're aware of other research that I've missed here, please share it with other readers by leaving a comment below.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipex26GLtnsDBhtP5iysx5GgSUcMwoOr_HWHD1eaowGNBGAKJzGz-fIQFen-Hh47uUmavAWMyy43VbsHrssm-S9Y6P0bvRBwtfG8TajNEOVkNF1R8VNhXlG50kgHkZrItQIv13XlAyOw/s1600/ChildBubble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipex26GLtnsDBhtP5iysx5GgSUcMwoOr_HWHD1eaowGNBGAKJzGz-fIQFen-Hh47uUmavAWMyy43VbsHrssm-S9Y6P0bvRBwtfG8TajNEOVkNF1R8VNhXlG50kgHkZrItQIv13XlAyOw/s200/ChildBubble.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>

Childcare Provision: a Recent History

The issue of childcare is in the news again today, following rumours of an imminent change to staff : child ratios in early years settings,...

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The Nursery Sector

The <a href="http://www.ndna.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA)</a> has just published a brief report which contains details of research carried out with nurseries across the UK. The survey was primarily interested in business matters - financial performance of settings, staffing issues etc - and highlights <a href="http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075944/nurseries-reveal-true-cost-free-entitlement" target="_blank">problems stemming from the government's free childcare entitlement scheme</a>.<br /><br />To read the full text of <i>NDNA Insight Report: January 2013 - The Nursery Sector in England, Scotland & Wales</i>, <a href="http://www.ndna.org.uk/Resources/NDNA/Generic%20Folders%202/06/business%20performance%20survey%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.

The Nursery Sector

The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) has just published a brief report which contains details of research carried out with nurseri...

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Counting the Costs of Childcare

The affordability of childcare has been a hot political topic in recent years and now a new report is adding to the debate by claiming that the high cost of childcare means that it is often <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/oct/27/soaring-cost-childcare-parents-work" target="_blank">not worthwhile for a family's second earner to work</a> at all. The report is entitled <i>Counting the Costs of Childcare</i> and has been authored by the Resolution Foundation thinktank - you can read it in full by <a href="http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/media/downloads/Counting_the_costs_of_childcare_1.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.

Counting the Costs of Childcare

The affordability of childcare has been a hot political topic in recent years and now a new report is adding to the debate by claiming that ...

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Double Dutch

Today the <a href="http://www.ippr.org/" target="_blank">Institute for Public Policy Research</a> (IPPR) has published <i>Double Dutch: The Case Against Deregulation & Demand-Led Funding in Childcare</i>. This paper is partly a response to <a href="http://www.centreforum.org/assets/pubs/affordable-quality.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Affordable Quality: New Approaches to Childcare</i></a> which was published in May and argued that the childcare structure used by the Netherlands should be adopted in the UK. In contrast, the new report suggests that there should be a <a href="http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075025/report-advocates-universal-national-entitlement-care?WT.rss_f=News&WT.rss_a=Report+advocates+universal+%27national+entitlement%27+to+early+years+care" target="_blank">universal 'national entitlement' to early years care</a>, modelled more closely on the <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/rss/1154989/Denmark-holds-key-affordable-childcare-think-tank-argues/" target="_blank">Danish model</a>.<br /><br />To read the full text of <i>Double Dutch</i>, <a href="http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2012/10/double-dutch-childcare_Oct2012_9763.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>. You may also want to listen to <a href="http://audioboo.fm/boos/1007972-17-160-a-year-just-so-i-can-go-back-to-work" target="_blank">this snippet</a> from yesterday's World at One programme, which examined the costs of childcare.

Double Dutch

Today the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has published Double Dutch: The Case Against Deregulation & Demand-Led Funding in...

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New from DfE

The Department for Education has just released its latest batch of research reports, and this month there are quite a few! If you're a glutton for punishment then you can read all of the latest reports by <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/AllPublications/Page1" target="_blank">clicking here</a>, but what I've tried to do is provide links to the ones which are particularly relevant to this site's users.<br /><br />One item which should be of interest to most readers is the <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001088/osr18-2012.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2011</i></a> (despite the title it is new!) - a summary of the main findings is <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RB240.pdf" target="_blank">also available</a>.<br /><br />There are also two new reports compiled by the <a href="http://www.cwrc.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre</a>:<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Children%27s%20voices%20on%20wellbeing.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Children’s and Young People’s Voices on their Wellbeing</i></a></li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR245%20Main%20report.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Implementing Evidence-Based Programmes in Children’s Services: Key Issues for Success</i></a></li></ul> And three reports from the Longitudinal Study of Early Years Professional Status:<br /><ul><li><i><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DfE-RR239b%20report.pdf" target="_blank">Listening to Children’s Perspectives: Improving the Quality of Provision in Early Years Settings</a></i></li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DfE-RR239a%20report.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Second National Survey of Practitioners with Early Years Professional Status</i></a></li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DfE-RR239c%20report.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Longitudinal Study of Early Years Professional Status: an Exploration of Progress, Leadership and Impact: Final Report</i></a></li></ul>

New from DfE

The Department for Education has just released its latest batch of research reports, and this month there are quite a few! If you're a g...

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