I have been updating a book and looking back at the Government's record on early childhood education and care since it took office. Despite all the fanfare, the rebrandings and the 101 initiatives, it is a sorry record.
There are many examples of muddle and missed opportunities, and a shocking number of young children still living in poverty.
The national childcare strategy and the use of childcare tax credits were intended to encourage mothers back into work, especially single mothers, but figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest that the numbers of mothers in employment have barely changed in ten years.
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