Its birth signalled the Government's intent to help the most disadvantaged with childcare. But as it took its first steps doubts were raised about the long-term viability of the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative (NNI) as the Government only promised to nurture it through the first three years of its life. Once weaned off Government support, some of the UK's biggest nursery chains fear the initiative will fail as bureaucratic hurdles and the chill wind of commercial unviability discourage them from taking part.
And yet the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is buoyant. It claims that by the end of June 39,000 NNI places were 'in development' - the figures were due to be updated at the end of September and published sometime this autumn. A spokesperson for the DfES says, 'Progress over the past six months looks very encouraging towards the planned delivery of 45,000 places open in disadvantaged areas by March 2004. The participation of nursery chains has been very much welcomed by the NNI.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here