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One small step

What lies ahead for early years workers in the Government's plans? Simon Vevers reports The letters page of Nursery World has resonated in recent months with the concerns of hard-pressed providers anxious about their inability to recruit and retain qualified staff. One correspondent, echoing the views of many in the early years sector, wrote, 'Very soon, parents will be unable to gain places for their children due to the lack of staff. With the introduction of wraparound care, where does the Government think everyone will get staff from?' (Nursery World, 7 April.) These concerns were underlined recently by the Commons Education and Skills committee when it warned that the integration of children's services envisaged in Every Child Matters, the ten-year childcare strategy and the development of the workforce needed to implement it, would not be achieved 'without significant and sustained additional investment'.

The letters page of Nursery World has resonated in recent months with the concerns of hard-pressed providers anxious about their inability to recruit and retain qualified staff. One correspondent, echoing the views of many in the early years sector, wrote, 'Very soon, parents will be unable to gain places for their children due to the lack of staff. With the introduction of wraparound care, where does the Government think everyone will get staff from?' (Nursery World, 7 April.) These concerns were underlined recently by the Commons Education and Skills committee when it warned that the integration of children's services envisaged in Every Child Matters, the ten-year childcare strategy and the development of the workforce needed to implement it, would not be achieved 'without significant and sustained additional investment'.

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