During the 17 years I have been associated with childcare, the private sector has suffered many prejudices. One aspect of this prejudice is found in the way the popular press, in particular the Daily Mail, continue to promote the view that 'a women's place is in the home', and 'nurseries cause harm to your children'.
Over the past 50 years we have educated women on an even footing with men, and as a result they now take their rightful place in all aspects of the general workplace. In addition, changes in economic expectation make the need for two incomes into the average household more the rule than the exception.
Is it really 'selfish' when women wish to combine a natural desire to have children with the continuation of their careers? I think not. The same view holds for those women who simply need a second income to provide for the economic stability of their families.
The facts of nursery life are very different to those painted by the media.
We look after more than a million children every day, and our safety record is statistically exemplary. Given the ratios we all adhere to, it is hardly surprising that our eye is very rarely 'off the ball'. Compare this to a harassed parent looking after children at home, with all the natural dangers and distractions that involves. The media never even consider this.
On the other, more positive, side of the coin, the professional support system provided by our sector gives parents the opportunity to use the services of a totally dedicated and highly trained vocational workforce who, by choice, enjoy the demands of looking after very young children - a task many parents find both difficult and unrewarding, even when they have the time.
Apart from safety issues, children are taught to communicate and share with others, are stimulated with a host of activities and toys, and follow a Government curriculum; all of which would be difficult, if not impossible, to provide at home.
I believe private nurseries perform an essential function in our society, and the people who work in them deserve status, praise and support. The way they are represented in the popular British press is often malicious, and ill-informed and is a pressure we can all do without.
Alan Bentley is chairman of The Childcare Corporation