Childcare Choices - 'Under Five' The Monthly News Magazine of the Pre-School Learning Alliance

Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in Pre-School Learning Alliance on Thu 10th Mar 2005

Why do you feel that childcare is so high on the political agenda?

The Liberal Democrats have long recognised the vital importance of Early Year's education and can be proud of our consistent and long-term commitment to investing in this area.

We welcome the progress this government has made, but there remains a lot more to do. For too long, policy has focused on forcing parents back to work. We want to see more emphasis on the welfare and interests of the child, when they need it most, from birth onwards.

What are the key challenges to delivering universal affordable childcare?

Establishing a universal affordable childcare system is very expensive, and in Britain we have started from a very low base. Though we aspire to the Scandinavian model of childcare provision, we must acknowledge that their system has developed over 30 years at a cost, currently, of over 2.5% of GDP per year. We currently spend no more than 0.8% and must accept that ours is a long-term plan. We are signed up to the government's 10 year Childcare Strategy.

In government, what would be your priorities for the next term?

Our policy "Children First" outlines our priorities for children and families. We would offer new mothers a Maternity Income Guarantee equivalent to the minimum wage, £170 per week, for the first six months, transferable between the mother and father, to enable them to afford to spend the vital first six months with their baby if they want it.

A key policy commitment is to raise standards by building on training, qualifications and professional status of the workforce, and this quality and professionalism should be more widely recognised. In the early formative years, young children deserve to be cared for by a qualified and well-trained professional workforce which understands the needs and development of children in the early years.

We would use the money saved by the government's Child Trust Fund to reduce class sizes for the youngest children, helping teachers to provide them with the individual attention they deserve. We believe that resources are scarce, they should be invested in the early years, rather than when a child reaches 18.

How would you like the sector to look in ten years time?

In ten years, we would aim to have implemented the key elements of the 10 Year Childcare Strategy with Children's Centres in every community providing a local hub for a range of childcare providers. These centres would also provide integrated childcare, early years education and family services to the under 5s.

We would like to see a graduate trained in Early Year's education in most settings; with better pay, training and professional status and recognition for the whole childcare profession.