It looks as though 'birth to school' childcare is being considered by the Government as a vote-winning weapon in the fight against David Cameron and his family-focused policies (News, page 4).
There is a gaping hole at the moment between the maternity pay available for a child's first year and the free entitlement to nursery education for three- and four-year-olds. However, to move from this limited help to a universal system of childcare for birth to five-year-olds, even if better-off families had to pay for some services, would require an immense financial commitment. Where would the money come from? It would not necessarily be a universally popular move with voters who do not have young children, either.
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