The Government's Ten Year Childcare Strategy, Choice for Parents, the best start for children, was published on 2nd December 2004. Its key themes are:
- Choice and flexibility - parents to have greater choice about balancing work and family life.
- Availability - for all families with children aged up to 14 who need it, an affordable, flexible, high-quality childcare place that meets their needs.
- Quality - high-quality provision with a highly skilled childcare and early years workforce.
- Affordability - families to be able to afford flexible, high-quality childcare that is appropriate to their needs
What has been achieved in London so far?
Choice and Flexibility
- Roll out of Sure Start Children's Centres - At the end of March 2006 London Local Authorities, in conjunction with their early years partners, had opened 140 Sure Start Children's Centres. These are delivering integrated services to 124,259 of our most disadvantaged children. A further 350 children's centres are expected to open by March 2008 offering a mix of information, health, family support, childcare and other services for parents and children in their local community that are accessible to families 10 hours a day 48 weeks of the year.
- On a national level the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) hopes to have 2,500 Children's Centres open by 2008 with a view to delivering a Sure Start Children Centre in every community by 2010.
Availability
- Free nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds has been increased from 33 weeks to 38 weeks a year across all settings.
- The goal is to increase the weekly entitlement to free nursery education from 12.5 hours per week to 15 hours by 2010 and ultimately to 20 hours per week.
- A pilot is also being rolled out in two London Local Authorities on free nursery education for 2 year olds.
- Roll-out of Extended Schools - The government's target is to have 2500 schools delivering or providing access to the full core offer services; in London the target is 382 schools. Core Offer services are as follows: high quality wrap-around childcare; a varied menu of activities for children; parenting support; swift and easy referrals to specialist support services; and community use.
- There is strong evidence to suggest that the London target will be met. As of July 2006, 212 schools were reported as providing access to core offer services.
Quality
- Roll-out of Transformation Fund funding - As part of the ten year childcare strategy, the government is investing £250 million over the next two years through the Transformation Fund to develop the skills of those working with young children and help settings to raise the quality of the care they offer to children. Local Authorities have the strategic leadership for the management of the fund and are expected to work together with local partners to ensure the Fund supports local workforce. In London £25.9m is being invested.
Affordability
- Childcare Affordability Programme (CAP) - The London Development Agency (LDA) is coordinating a package of LDA and Sure Start funding during 2005-08 to subsidise full day care and flexible childcare places in London creating CAP.
