Comment from Judith Thompson, Chair of Pre-school Learning Alliance in advance of the DfES 5 year plan and the Comprehensive Spending Review.
NEWS RELEASE
12 July 2004
Comment from Judith Thompson, Chair of Pre-school Learning Alliance in advance of the DfES 5 year plan and the Comprehensive Spending Review.
We welcome the priority given by government to the extension of childcare provision, and urge the Chancellor to support this commitment through his Spending Review announcement on 12 July.
However, there are many challenges to be faced if we are to meet the necessary targets.
The Pre-school Learning Alliance calls on the government to:
- Address the urgent need to recruit, train and retain a considerably larger, qualified and integrated workforce
- Recognise the valuable role of volunteers in the childcare workforce by making funding available for training and development
- Develop an equitable pay structure to include all early years professionals that recognises and rewards levels of qualifications and responsibility
- Encourage active involvement by parents in the education of their children
- Assess local authorities success in working in partnership with the voluntary sector, and where it is failing, provide ring fenced funding for the sector
- Build and expand on high quality existing provision instead of replacing existing facilities to ensure a net growth in childcare places
- Accept that the expansion of children's centres should not be focused only on school sites, where a more inclusive environment can be found in the local community
- Accept that if children's centres are to integrate a wide range of services, management should come from broad disciplines, not solely qualified teachers
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Andrew Fletcher
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7833 0991
Out of hours press calls: 07979 531 130
E: Andrew Fletcher
Notes for Editors:
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance has 15,000 member pre-schools who look after 500,000 young children and their families in England every year. Registered as an educational charity, the Alliance is the national dimension of the pre-school movement. Its member pre-schools are based in the community and most are managed and run by parents, alongside trained staff. The charity is involved in more Sure Start projects than any other organisation and aims to open around 30 Neighbourhood Nurseries by the end of the year.
- The charity recently launched the next phase of its changing lives changing life campaign, which seeks to give all children the best possible start in life. For more information visit www.pre-school.org.uk or call 020 7833 0991
- Pre-school Learning Alliance members receive a regular magazine (Under Five) reflecting issues affecting the early years sector. If you would like to receive a copy of this please call 020 7833 0991.
- Further information and all press releases are available on the Pre-school Learning Alliance's website: www.pre-school.org.uk or email pressoffice@pre-school.org.uk