Well-trained staff and high-quality settings are the key to ensuring that childcare directly benefits children, according to a report by the Daycare Trust.
The report, Quality matters: Ensuring childcare benefits children, analyses evidence from international studies to show that childcare has important measurable and lasting beneficial effects on the education, health and welfare of children, particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The research shows that to maximise the benefits for children's development the services they attend must be of good quality.
According to the report, launched at the start of National Childcare Week, making high-quality universal childcare available to all families would require:
* a children's centre in every neighbourhood as a base and a beacon for appropriate, affordable, quality childcare for every child aged from nought to 14;
* high-quality, child-centred staff who provide stable and continuous care;
* services that support the needs of the whole family and build on the Sure Start programme; and
* flexible work options to allow parents to combine work and parenting.
The report also underlined the importance of having a well-trained workforce. It said, 'Children are most likely to experience quality childcare where there are well-trained and qualified childcare staff who are able to provide developmentally-appropriate activities and positive social experiences for the children in their care.' Daycare Trust director Stephen Burke said, 'As childcare services expand in the UK, we must ensure that they are of high quality and are available to all.
'A children's centre in every neighbourhood with well-trained and rewarded childcare staff would be an investment in all our futures. We must learn the lessons from research and make sure all children and their families get access to quality care.'
Tom Shea, chief executive of the Jigsaw nursery chain which sponsored the report, added, 'Early years childcare and education has a significant effect on the future development of children, which is both measurable and lasting. The first five years are critical because children are more receptive to learning and learn more quickly during this formative stage than at any other time in their lives.'
The Quality matters report is available for 5 (inc p&p) from the Daycare Trust, 21 St George's Road, London SE1 6ES (020 7840 3350).