‘A new era of child-centred government’. That’s what Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson declared at this year's Labour conference. This is an encouraging commitment, backed up by some solid, meaningful plans to invest in early years education and ensure better outcomes for children across the country.
But, just as in the Labour manifesto, one crucial component was overlooked: childminders.
Once upon a time, childminders were the largest provider of full-day childcare outside the home for young children. It’s not a fairytale to imagine we can return to those heights; but we have to take proactive steps to revive this vital portion of the sector. Even now, while the Government urgently needs to find 35,000 more early years practitioners, childminding barely gets a mention.
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