Recently I co-organised a conference in London with Professor Peter Moss about 'Starting Strong II', the OECD 20-nation review on early childhood education and care (ECEC). The OECD is a widely respected economic organisation, representing the world's richest countries. It produces comparative reports and league tables on a range of economic and educational issues.
'Starting Strong II' is written in sober OECD style, but it is dynamite.
The cautious, detailed review suggests child poverty (still very high in the UK) should be addressed through income redistribution and universal services, not targeting. It is critical of the private sector because of instability, closures and takeovers in the struggle for profit. It argues for adequate investment (still low in the UK) because it is impossible to improve staffing and achieve quality services without it.
The OECD ECEC Network will be organised for the next two years from Flanders. Bea Buysse of the Flemish government Child and Family Division gave, very ably and in English, an account at the conference of the impact of the report in her country, and discussed how the work might continue.
We invited our own minister for children, and shadow ministers, to come and give their views on 'Starting Strong'. The Conservative, Tim Loughton, accepted our invitation promptly. He gave a tough analysis of the past ten years. He said he was impressed above all by the philosophy and practice of childcare and education in Finland. He argued for compassion for the poor and vulnerable. This was such a change in Tory language that members of the audience were pinching themselves. The Liberal Democrat, Annette Brooke, was also extremely well briefed, and both shadow ministers welcomed the OECD report and commented on it in some detail.
And Beverley Hughes, Labour's minister for children? We were grateful that she came, but people expected more than a weary, but still rose-tinted recital of Government initiatives that we had read about many times before.
'Starting Strong' is a reality check. The UK has come a long way since 1997, but reading the report you can see how much there is still to do if we truly value children and want to support mothers. The OECD network is there to help. Let's hope the UKGovernment can take advantage of it.
Helen Penn is professor of early childhood studies at the University of East London