Towards a childcare guarantee

Article

Childcare and early education in England isn’t working – for children, parents, or providers.

Childcare costs hold parents – and particularly mothers – back from getting into or getting on in employment, and heap significant pressures on families navigating the challenges of parenthood. For children, access to high quality early years education can play a role in narrowing inequalities between disadvantaged children and their peers.

Despite these high stakes, England has no coherent early years’ infrastructure: there are currently seven different schemes on offer to parents in England

It’s time for a childcare guarantee to lower barriers for parents getting back into or getting on in work, to reduce costs for families with children, and to ensure every child has access to high quality early years education.

Related items

  1. A row of international flags flying in the breeze outside a building in Paris on a sunny day

    Diversifying diplomacy: UK strategy in a fragmenting world

    How the UK might build more durable international partnerships in energy, defence and technology.
  2. A 'To Let' sign outside a row of houses on a residential street, UK

    High housing costs in the private rental sector: The case for action

    45 per cent of all private renters in the UK have unaffordable rents. It's time for the government to act to limit rent increases.
  3. A wide shot of several large commercial vessels, including oil tankers and a survey boat, floating on turquoise water. In the background, an industrial shoreline with numerous smokestacks and refinery infrastructure is visible under a cloudy sky. Concept of global logistics, maritime industry, and international trade.

    Price caps and economic stability: How to manage the Iran war energy shock?

    The Iran war energy shock will impose significant costs on the UK economy, even if the government does not offer a universal support package.