ListenUK
How do we improve childcare?
As the government announces a childcare commission, our panel considers the
issues that most need addressing
Anand Shukla: 'The nine-to-five day is a
thing of the past'
As Daycare Trust's annual childcare costs surveys have demonstrated over the
last decade, parents in the UK face some of the highest childcare bills in
the world. So the announcement of a government childcare commission that
will consider ways to reduce the cost of childcare is welcome news. Our
research has found parents who pay more on childcare than they do on
mortgages or rent, and families falling into debt just to afford the
childcare they need to go to work.
One very straightforward measure that the government could take (without
waiting for a commission report) is to reverse the cuts in the childcare
element of tax credits which has seen half a million working families lose
out on an average of over £500 per year. It is widely acknowledged that
childcare support is essential to make work pay for those on the lowest
incomes.
Another welcome feature of the announcement is the long-overdue recognition
of parents who need childcare either side of the school day. It is
particularly difficult for parents who work outside standard office hours.
The "typical" nine-to-five day is a thing of the past, with four in 10
parents undertaking shift work, but childcare provision has lagged behind
this trend in the modern economy.
When it comes to regulation, the childcare commission must ensure that
policy is based on data, not myth. While unnecessary burdens on providers
should be removed (without jeopardising quality or safety), for example in
relation to the administration of free childcare places at the local
authority level, the notion that the high cost of childcare is caused by
excessive regulation is not supported by evidence. There are many countries
with the same or higher levels of childcare regulation than the UK, yet the
price of childcare is lower for parents.
Beware too the claim that the number of childminders fell because of
regulation. It did not. The transfer of registration from local authorities
to Ofsted in the middle of the last decade removed many who were no longer
practising, and parental preference for group settings has also played a
part. In any case, childminder numbers have started to increase again in the
last few years. It may be worth reviewing the child-to-staff ratios,
depending upon the levels of staff qualifications – but any saving here
through extra revenue will be offset by the additional cost of more
qualified staff. So no saving for parents here.
The high cost of childcare in the UK is the result of a fragmented market
with few economies of scale, and a complicated funding model which needs to
be streamlined. These are the areas the commission should focus on, rather
than deregulation.
• Anand Shukla is chief executive of Daycare Trust
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Susanna Rustin: 'Stuffing in more children
isn't the answer'
Three months after she started going to nursery, my
three-and-a-half-year-old daughter has yet to make a friend. Her dad and I
are eagerly awaiting signs she has taken a shine to one of the other
children, but so far it hasn't happened.
Though we hope this will change soonish, we're ok with this. She is happy
enough at nursery, has never cried when we drop her off, joins in
activities, eats her lunch and plays with the other children. But even at
three, our younger child is teaching us, making friends takes time.
In the afternoons she goes to the childminder who has looked after her since
she was nine months old. Last week when we bought new leggings she announced
she would tell her childminder about them, but not nursery. Asked who her
friends are, she names the three children with whom she shared her
childminder until all three moved on.
We've been touched by this display of loyalty. Attachments can be formed
anywhere, and I'm not suggesting children cared for by childminders form
stronger bonds. But our daughter's experience has led us to think there is
something distinctive about the setting, which combines the intimacy of a
home (kitchen, sofa, pet) with the chance to mix with other kids.
Ratios have already been relaxed. Childminders are now allowed to care for
more than three under-fives if some are part-time, which seems sensible. But
it's wrong to suggest a childminder could care for five under-fives all day
long without it making much difference. Logistics are what first spring to
mind: five pairs of wellies, five lunchboxes, five children in a sandpit one
of whom needs the loo …
But there are also personalities. Everyone knows spending time with four
other people is different from being with two. Children are the same. And
most childminders don't look after the same kids every day. My
three-year-old might be confronted with four different children on Wednesday
afternoon than on Tuesday.
I agree childcare is too expensive. But the government's idea of stuffing
more children into each setting ignores the most basic facts about human
relationships, which are never more important than when we are very young.
• Susanna Rustin is a Guardian feature writer and editor
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Liz Bayram: 'Parents value childminder
inspections'
Some 62% of parents who responded to a survey we conducted with Netmums said
the main reason for sending their child to a childminder was the
personalised approach their child received, while 44% cited the small number
of children cared for in total.
The majority of respondents said it was very important (80%) or quite
important (14%) that childminders were individually registered and inspected
by Ofsted. The main reasons they valued individual inspection were because
it demonstrated they were professionals (84%), reassured them that their
child was safe (75%) and demonstrated that they provided early learning
opportunities (55%). If childminders were no longer individually registered
and inspected by Ofsted – as the commission has indicated it will consider
by exploring alternative regulation models – 77% of respondents said they
would be less likely to look for a childminder.
Parents must have confidence that childminders are providing safe,
high-quality learning and childcare and Ofsted regulation and inspection of
them as individuals does just that. We will be making clear to the childcare
commission that the current system ensures parental confidence. If it is
removed or changed, there is a real risk of less, not more, affordable
childcare.
It is also clear that parents choose childminding because of the
personalised care it provides their children, due to the small
adult-to-child ratios that regulation demands. Any increase in ratios will
have to be considered with great care.
• Liz Bayram is joint chief executive of National
Childminding Association
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Sarah Teather: 'When it comes to
childcare, quality matters'
Childcare can make a big dent in monthly wage slips. Too many parents find
it hard to find childcare in the first place; it's no surprise that only
four out of ten parents believe there is enough childcare in their areas for
those over five years of age.
But I know that parents don't simply want cheap childcare; they want to
know, when they leave their children in the nursery or childminder, that
they are leaving their child in a safe and secure environment. A place where
their child is going to learn and develop, through play and stories. And
that the staff who are looking after their child are going to be watching to
make sure that they are developing well, and learning the skills that will
set them up for school.
This is even more important as I take forward plans to extend free early
years education to 40% of two-year-olds. Quality early education can help to
end the shameful situation where a child from a poorer background starts
school already behind their wealthier peers.
That will be at the forefront of my mind as I take forward the work on
childcare that has just been announced by the government.
With Maria Miller, of the Department for Work and Pensions, I'll talk to
experts and look at why childcare seems to be so expensive in this country.
We'll also see if we can do more to cut back the "tick box" culture to
reduce burdens on the sector.
I want to hear good, constructive ideas and suggestions on how we can ensure
that the excellent childcare facilities – particularly wraparound care for
school-age children – already available in some areas, can be replicated in
other parts of the country.
This work is complemented by Professor Cathy Nutbrown's report on early
education and childcare qualifications which we'll consider in coming
months. This compelling piece of work, which I commissioned, shows how we
need to improve skills in the early years sector, and to encourage talented
young people to choose a career working with the youngest children.
We are already doing a great deal in a tough economic climate. We have
stripped away many of the unnecessary burdens on early years providers. We
have protected the right of every three-and four-year-old to 15 free hours a
week at nursery, and will extend this to two out of every five two-year-olds
as well.
By 2014 annual investment on early education will have increased by over
£1bn a year. I am doing all I can to extend free nursery places to more
families.
This isn't just to help hardworking parents. Quality early education helps
young children prepare for school and gives every child the fair start they
deserve.
• Sarah Teather is minister for children and families
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/19/childcare-commission-panel
