Sector's expansion 'limited by low pay'

Government plans to expand the early years sector will be undermined by the low pay and low status of childcare professionals, the Daycare Trust has predicted. A report, Who will care?, launched at the Labour Party conference in Brighton this week, puts childcare among the lowest-paid jobs in Britain, with childcarers earning less than gardeners and cleaners. It says a day nursery manager earns an average of £13,000 to £14,000 a year, and a teacher working in a nursery class up to £18,000.