According to research on family services by the Family and Childcare Trust involving 500 parents, provision is either not available locally, is unaffordable, offers limited places, is on at unsuitable times, or the quality is poor.
Recruited and trained by the Family and Childcare Trust, four groups of parent researchers spoke to parents in Leeds, Lincolnshire, North (Brent) and Central London, to determine what families need and want from family and early years services.
Stay and play type activities were popular among most of the parents. However, in the Brent focus group, one mother said that the activities on offer were not varied enough, and were not very stimulating or educational. Other parents described stay and play services as ‘overcrowded’ and ‘unwelcoming’.
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