Day nurseries: good business for families and communities promotes day nurseries as the preferred choice for families, caring for more children under five than any other childcare.
NDNA chief executive Rosemary Murphy launched the paper at the House of Commons last week and said she hoped to see the full involvement of day nurseries in future childcare delivery. Ms Murphy said, 'Day nurseries are the foundation of our childcare infrastructure, delivering more than one in three of all childcare places. They have the energy, business acumen and expertise to deliver for children and families.
'The Government has committed itself to deliver the childcare agenda between voluntary, private and maintained sector delivery.We need to ensure that local authorities are encouraged to work in partnership at a local level.'
Children's minister Margaret Hodge, who spoke at the launch, confirmed that day nurseries would have a key role to play. She said, 'The Government has funded an unprecedented expansion in early learning and childcare. We could not have achieved this success without the valuable contribution of the private and voluntary sectors. I am confident that we can continue to rely on their commitment, and we are encouraging local authorities to work closely with them in planning and delivering quality services for young children and their families.'
Meanwhile, the NDNA is in the final planning stages with Yorkshire Forward to develop a flagship National Early Years Enterprise Centre to support childcare providers.
Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency for Yorkshire and Humberside, has pledged 1.75m of grant funding to develop the centre. The centre will consist of an early years academy to train childcare workers and support lifelong learning, and a business unit dedicated to supporting the sustainability of new and existing childcare businesses. The centre will also incorporate the NDNA's national headquarters.
The centre will be based within the Yorkshire and Humberside region, although a site has not yet been identified. It will have 50 staff and is expected to open in 2006.
Don Stewart, executive director of people development for Yorkshire Forward, said, 'By working in partnership with the NDNA, we are ensuring that parents can return to work confident that their children are in competent and safe hands.'
Ms Hodge said, 'I am delighted at the commitment Yorkshire Forward are showing to the Government's agenda for children and families in working with the NDNA. This is an excellent example of partnership and investment between public, private and voluntary sectors.'
