The recent announcement of a commitment by the Government to 'guarantee' an affordable childcare place for every child that needs it by the end of the next term in office is just that. If implemented, it could mean the doubling of childcare places for four- to 14-year-olds by 2010 wrapped in or around the ambition for all primary schools to be open from 8am to 6pm.
For a sector well used to change and expansion it would mark a new phase and scale of development, one in which it will be crucial to build on the experience of out-of-school providers to date.
4Children is working hard to help get this model right, but there are some key building blocks that need to be in place:
* Extended schools need to embrace community provision too. Eighty per cent of after-school activity is not run by the school and this is a trend that needs to continue.
* If the number of childcare places is to increase then significant start-up funding will be needed.
* If we are going to establish universal affordable childcare there needs to be ongoing supply side subsidies for providers. Tax credits are an important way of supporting working parents on low income but do not provide income to the sector needed to ensure sustainability.
* The workforce will need to expand.
All of these are big issues and are against a fearsome timescale of the announcement of a ten-year plan for childcare in the pre-budget statement at the end of November. The political will for universal childcare is there but it will not be cheap. The next few weeks will show if the lobbying work does need to continue apace.