Early Education and Childcare Coalition Seeks to Support Sector’s Goals

Early Education and Childcare Coalition Seeks to Support Sector’s Goals

In the Spring Budget this year, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced the government’ s policy of dramatically increasing the childcare entitlement. While the sector broadly welcomes initiatives to boost access to childcare, previous experience has taught it to be sceptical about how the structural and funding needs will be met. It is widely recognised that delivering the new entitlement will not be simple, and policy makers will require high quality advice.

Launching on 7th September and with the strapline: “for children, for parents, for the economy” the new coalition seeks to unite the voices of all those with a stake in early education and childcare. It is currently comprised of 30 organisations, representing businesses and trade associations with close ties to the sector. Through their combined influence, it hopes to impact government policymaking and bring about the changes needed to ensure providers are able to deliver high quality childcare. The issues it identifies, among others, include underfunding, rising costs and workforce pressures, all areas on which the sector is agreed, something needs to be done.

The coalition intends to take what it calls a ‘rescue and reform’ approach, beginning with short term measures to stabilise the sector. These would likely include campaigning for revised funding and a real workforce strategy. It will then seek to look at the deeper reasons behind the sector’s struggles and propose real, lasting reform to ensure childcare remains accessible and sustainable for the future. 

The EECC is hosted by the Women’s Budget Group, a feminist economics think tank, and funded by the Kiawah Trust, a charitable foundation that supports initiatives to tackle educational and gender inequality. You can find out more about their work on their website.