With the election just weeks away, Professor Cathy Nutbrown urges politicians to see childcare as an essential service for the common good.

This little piggy went to market

This little piggy stayed home

This little piggy had roast beef

This little piggy had none

This little piggy cried 'wee, wee, wee'

All the way home

Many will see this rhyme as something to share in a loving and playful moment with a baby. We can imagine her, perhaps when a nappy is being changed, face to face with her close adult, and giggling as she feels a gentle tickle on each of her tiny curled-up toes.

Such moments are precious and important, and every baby needs such intimate encounters, every day.

I was reminded of this rhyme twice this week, first because I saw just this sort of warm encounter between an adult and a six-month-old. The second occasion was when I heard on the radio a discussion about a party election manifesto in which the intention to invest in childcare led to talk of a growth in 'the market'.

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