MP93484

MAPS : Childcare: July 2004

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This report covers: childcare, types of childcare, day nurseries, childminders, playgroups, private nurseries, pre-schools, nursery schools, classes, working mothers, England, Scotland, Wales, nannies, childminders, provisioon in schools, pre-school provision, school-age provision,

Companies and Associations covered include: Childcare Link, Daycare Trust, 4children, National Childminding Association, National Day Nurseries Association, Pre-School Learning Alliance, Professional Association of Nursery Nurses, Scottish Pre-School Playgroups Association, Nord Angliaf Nurseries, Asquith Court Schools, Just Learning, Busy Bees Nurseries, Sure Start, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Kidsunlimited, Teddies Nurseries, Buffer Bear Nurseries, Child Base, Ravenstone House Schools,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Executive Summary

The UK child population has been falling, but demand for childcare continues to rise as more mothers of young children go out to work full time. The Government has introduced many measures to improve conditions for working parents and their children since the introduction of the National Childcare Strategy in 1998. However, in early 2004, the National Audit Office (NAO) published a review — entitled Early Years: Progress in developing high quality childcare and early education accessible to all — which presented a mixed picture. The Government has met its target to provide a free part-time early education place to all 3 year-olds in England by April 2004. Nonetheless, there are wide geographical variations in childcare provision generally, and also insufficient provision for some childcare needs, including those of parents who need flexible provision, lone parents and disadvantaged groups. The review also raised some doubts about the sustainability of some current childcare providers and recognised that they may need more support to enable them to remain viable.

The private nursery sector continues to grow, and there has been a continuing trend for mergers and acquisitions. However, it is likely that saturation point has been reached, largely due to the falling child population. Competition from state primary schools is likely to increase as more and more of them offer nursery places in order to boost their falling rolls. In addition, changes in the Education Act, which came into force in 2002, mean that state schools will be able to offer childcare as well as early education if they wish.

Another factor is the trend towards greater flexibility in the workplace, which means that parents will be more likely to opt for part-time, rather than full-time, nursery places. The recent announcement that in-home childcare is to be included in a scheme, whereby parents could obtain a degree of tax-free childcare through vouchers provided by employers, means that more parents — especially those on higher incomes, and with two or more children — are likely to opt for a nanny rather than a nursery.

Childminders are particularly well placed to offer the more flexible childcare that many working parents now demand; a number of initiatives are in place to generate more interest in the childminding profession and to increase numbers.

Key Note's exclusive research showed that there was a strong endorsement for the adoption of family-friendly policies by employers. 60% of all respondents agreed that employers with such policies were more likely to attract and keep qualified people with young children, although 22% asserted that working in a `family-friendly' environment could be annoying for those employees who are not themselves parents of young children.

24% of respondents felt that the Government was not doing enough to help women with young children who wish to go out to work. However, they were less likely to approve of the Government's record on helping parents of school-age children to find childcare solutions; 48% think that the Government should do more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Text © 2004 Key Note

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Last updated by Amanda Porteous September 2004