New body calls for more free childcare

Free childcare for pre-school children should be significantly extended and the number of children's centres should be doubled, according to Capacity, a new public interest body for children's services launched this week. Capacity - whose board of directors is chaired by Professor Norman Glass, a key instigator of Sure Start - is calling for 'a more substantial and universal offer to all parents, reflecting the importance of the early years and the significance of the family as a context for learning'.