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Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said:

"In the eight years since then-early years minister Liz Truss firstly introduced childminder agencies in England, the number of childminders across the country has fallen from just under 52,000 to just over 31,000 - a decline of 40% - while the number of agencies currently stands at a grand total of six. The idea, therefore, that agencies are even part of the answer to the problems currently facing the early years is simply laughable.

"Childminders are early education professionals who, like their nursery, pre-school, school and further education counterparts, rightly value their hard-earned individual аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± ratings as independent evidence of the quality of the care and education they provide. As such, the fact that the government is once again pushing this damp squib of a policy shows just how little they understand this vital part of our early years sector. 

"The government’s utterly misguided fixation on deregulation will do nothing to address the many challenges currently facing the sector. If ministers are truly committed to tackling the early years crisis, they should look to invest what’s needed to deliver affordable, sustainable, high-quality childcare and early education. Attempting reform on the cheap is simply a waste of everyone’s time."