The Education Committee welcomes the Government’s focus on childcare in the Spring Budget, but warns it has more work to do and should consider wider policy changes to ensure children benefit from high quality affordable childcare and to help parents and providers who are struggling.
The findings come in a new report which concludes the cross-party Committee’s inquiry that was launched amidst warnings that state and private providers had been closing at an alarming rate. This has been coupled with a major recruitment and retention challenge and a decline in the number of childminders.
This is despite strong demand for childcare from a generation of parents who are struggling to afford services, with many opting against returning to work or delaying having children.
During the course of this inquiry the Government announced the largest expansion in public investment in childcare on record through an extension of its funded hours, however the overall system remains complex and the Committee has made a number of recommendations to increase choice, availability and flexibility for parents.
