In this issue of Nursery Business, we bring you up to date with the inspection changes due to come into effect in April and take a look at the growing popularity of timber-frame and modular buildings, but we concentrate on what is concerning providers most at the moment: the Government's ten-year childcare strategy, staffing and under-threes provision. While private providers remain worried about their prospects under the ten-year strategy (see 'Causes for concern', page 4), there are clear signs that the private sector will have a role to play in the second wave of children's centres (see 'Second chance, page 23). Local authorities may have the cash to invest in new-builds at the moment, but that doesn't look set to last, leaving Government again partly dependent on the private and voluntary sectors to help them fulfil their promise of providing 3,500 children's centres.
In this issue of Nursery Business, we bring you up to date with the inspection changes due to come into effect in April and take a look at the growing popularity of timber-frame and modular buildings, but we concentrate on what is concerning providers most at the moment: the Government's ten-year childcare strategy, staffing and under-threes provision.
While private providers remain worried about their prospects under the ten-year strategy (see 'Causes for concern', page 4), there are clear signs that the private sector will have a role to play in the second wave of children's centres (see 'Second chance, page 23). Local authorities may have the cash to invest in new-builds at the moment, but that doesn't look set to last, leaving Government again partly dependent on the private and voluntary sectors to help them fulfil their promise of providing 3,500 children's centres.
The unease within the private sector has led to predictions that the market is slowing, but the case studies in our Starting a Nursery directory again prove that prospective providers are still identifying parts of the country where demand outstrips supply.
