c hallenges facing the mixed economy in delivering quality and sufficiency 10 September 2007 Purnima Tanuku Chief Executive

who we are National membership organisation for children’s day nurseries across the UK Registered charity since 1999 Promoting quality in early years

what we do Voice of the sector – national and local Government and media Support, information and advice Member consultation Conferences, nursery awards, seminars and forums Campaigns for healthy lifestyles for children Training and Professional Development Quality Counts scheme

key drivers Government strategy Rise in female workforce – 52% of mothers with children under 5 now work Increase in the age of new mothers – 50% of births to mothers over 30 Working parent preferences – 20% of under 5s attend a day nursery, 31% use relatives, 24% use parents, 18% use a registered childminder, 7% use other forms of childcare

the UK childcare market 15,000 day nurseries provide care and education for nearly 1 million under-5s The day nursery sector employs over 200,000 people The average cost across sectors of a full-time place for a child under 2 years old is £138 per week.

management Day nurseries Nat Cen/BMRB

number of group providers Nat Cen/BMRB

use of formal childcare - how does this vary for children of different age groups? Nat Cen/BMRB

what types of providers are families using – and how has this changed? Nat Cen/BMRB

age of children in day nurseries Nat Cen/BMRB

percentage of Children – part-time and full-time – by age group in day nurseries

average UK full-time nursery fees 2007 figures, per week (5 days) Local authorities£ Voluntary£ Private sector £ Overall average£ Average occupancy rate across the UK is 77.5%

profitability – day nurseries Nat Cen/BMRB

policy implications Children’s Centres Children’s Centres and Extended Schools Stand alone PVI settings

Parental Choice Flexibility Affordability Sustainability Quality

expectations Foundation Stage to be in place by ,500 Children’s Centres by 2010 Every Children’s Centre to have EYP graduate by 2010 Every full day care setting to have EYP graduate by 2015

challenges affecting the mixed economy Affordability and sustainability Duplication and lack of real engagement Local authorities and childcare market management Partnerships in rhetoric but not in reality Children’s Centres and extended schools

challenges affecting the mixed economy Level playing field Nursery Education funding Business rates Staffing ratios VAT Workforce development Transformation Fund Quality and Outcomes Negative PR

“I want us to listen and engage the talents of school leaders, parents, children, businesses and the voluntary sector. It is their voice and their expertise that should ultimately inform the future policy, mission and vision of this new department. It is their voice and their expertise that will help us tackle the very acute challenges we still face.” Ed Balls, Secretary of State department for children, schools and families