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Labour MP Helen Jones called for an early years inquiry at a parliamentary debate on free childcare on Monday.

 

The debate was prompted by a government e-petition calling for ‘free childcare when both parents are working, not just those on benefits’, and looked at the issues facing the early years sector including underfunding and the subsequent impact on childcare costs, workforce development and the availability of places.

 

Helen said that it was possible to have good early years provision and cheap early years provision as two separate entities, but that at the moment it is not possible to have good and cheap early years provision.

 

Neil Leitch, chief executive at the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said that he welcomed Helen’s call for a formal early years inquiry, stating that all early years policy should be focused on how best to support early learning and development, rather than how best to attract parent votes.

 

“Of course, central to all this is adequate funding for providers – which means that funding actually covered the cost of delivering the government’s free entitlement scheme,” Neil said.

 

“The government’s recent pledge to increase average rates is a welcome first step, but we cannot – and will not – pretend it is anything more than that. This investment isn’t enough to plug the historic funding gap, and certainly isn’t enough to sustain quality provision for the next four years, as the government is suggesting.”

 

Consequently, Neil has urged for all political parties to work together to develop a long-term strategy that gives early years providers the support they need to ensure that all children can get the best start in life.