1. Childcare is for Children The Childcare Strategy for Wales Childcare – Needs and Provision Tallinn 26 th – 27 th February 2007

2. Welsh Assembly Government Core Aims for Children Based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: A flying start in life Access to learning Good health and protection from abuse Access to play, sport and culture Children are listened to and their culture respected Safe home and community Not disadvantaged by poverty

3. Government and Childcare Childcare is part of the modern welfare state Childcare is for children Childcare removes barriers to work Childcare gives families choices

4. Childcare Regulation Safeguarding the welfare of children Promoting the quality of provision Assembly Government sets standards – qualifications, ratio of staff to children, size of room, toilets, healthy eating etc. Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales registers, inspects and enforces provision for children up to the age of 8 (over 2 hours a day)

5. Types of Registered Childcare Childminder – self employed in their own home Day Nursery – usually private businesses, care for children 0-5 for whole day Monday to Friday Crèche – occasional care while parents are on same premises Nursery class or school – all children aged 3 and 4 have right to free part-time education. Can be in state school or voluntary group

6. Types of Registered Childcare Out of school club – either side of school day. Can be run by voluntary committee, a school or private business Sessional care – a pre-school playgroup or a holiday play scheme. Can be voluntary or local authority Open access play – supervised play where children up to 14/15 are free to come and go. Usually local authority

7. Profitability Childminders usually obtain adequate income for their low overhead costs Full day care providers are usually profitable businesses But Many out of school and sessional care settings are run by voluntary management committees on a marginal basis

8. Registered Childcare Places since 1999 19992006 Childminder1404411592 Crèche1386 Full Day Care989418083 Sessional Day Care 2506717408 Out of School Care 559819242 Total5460367711

9. Places per population: 2005 Childminder10614 Full Day Care15290 Sessional Day Care18069 Pupils Under 552061 Population 0-4155005 Full-time places as a proportion of population 56%

10. Registrations and de-registrations in 2005-6 Comparison 04-05 & 05-06, numbers of settings All Wales total 05-06 ChildmindersTotal number of registrations416 Total number of deregistrations241 Full day careTotal number of registrations47 Total number of deregistrations22 Sessional careTotal number of registrations58 Total number of deregistrations71 Out of school careTotal number of registrations79 Total number of deregistrations51 CrèchesTotal number of registrations12 Total number of deregistrations8

11. Support for Childcare Assembly Government grant – share of £56 million given to local partnerships Partnerships distribute to start up and sustain local childcare settings European Social Fund through Genesis Wales and Kids’ Clubs Project Childcare element of Working Tax Credit – up to 80% of cost

12. What Parents Used 47% use informal care (grandparents etc) 38% use formal care Out of school care most common formal care – 10% used

13. Why do parents use? 40% for economic activities 25% for education 17% for both

14. How much does it cost? Average weekly cost of childcare an early years provision is £14.17 (median, including subsidies) Average hourly cost is £0.72 (median, including subsidies 29% of lowest income think that affordability is good, compared with 47% of highest income 10% of those not working cite cost of childcare as a factor

15. What do Parents know? 32% who pay for childcare are not aware of childcare element of working tax credit 49% would like more information on childcare in their area 58% rate the quality of provision as being fairly or very good

16. Childcare Strategy Child’s development is first priority Maintain regulation but reduce administrative burden and make child’s experience central Consult on registration of early years and childcare workers Review provision and regulation of 8-14 settings Commission research into perceptions and take of childcare by ethnic minority parents Increase awareness of childcare information services and childcare element of Working Tax Credit

17. Integrate Service Delivery Develop opportunities to share location –Community-focused schools - resources for the whole community –Integrated centres - bases for networks of service provision

18. Childcare Act 2006 Duty on local authorities to assess need and secure adequate childcare, with regard to: –Parents receiving working tax credit –Parents with disabled children –Parents requiring Welsh language childcare Duty to provide information services To be implemented from 2008 and incorporated in Children and Young People’s Plan

19. Flying Start Implementation of principle of early preventative intervention Based on international evidence of the effectiveness of high quality early years services. Interventions must be intensive, high quality, well evaluated and delivered by trained staff

20. Flying Start Funding targeted at 16,000 in 0-3 age group. Free part time good quality childcare for 2 year olds. Parenting support programmes Language and play schemes Additional health visiting Based on nominated primary school catchment areas

21. Play Policy Implementation Plan Duty to co-operate in addressing play needs in Children Act Planning Guidance Big Lottery Fund - £20 million programme for play, healthy eating and exercise, of which around £13 million will be directed to play Develop standards for play, involving children Balance risks against benefits of play in standards for childminding and daycare Handbook for parents on quality play

22. Foundation Phase 1 The Foundation Phase will provide, for children aged 3 to 7: An appropriate, holistic, flexible curriculum to cater for children’s needs. Learning by doing through directed play and active involvement. Focus on speaking and listening. Children involved in planning and reviewing their work. Emphasis on skills development.

23. Foundation Phase 2 Aims: To raise children’s standards Enhance positive attitudes to learning Address their developing needs Enable them to benefit from educational opportunities later on.

24. Childcare Workforce Quality workforce the bedrock of quality care Qualifications required at level 2 (equivalent to school exams at age 16) or level 3 (equivalent to school exams at age 18) Not all settings yet meet qualification targets for, which will be statutory in April 2008 White female workforce on or close to minimum wage Large number of voluntary management committees as employers

25. Childcare Workforce Vision of fully professional workforce – need to raise status Need to attract more people in total, including men and ethnic minorities Care Council for Wales is developing a strategy Childcare, early years and play workers and primary school classroom assistants are one workforce Media recruitment and training campaign in 2007

26. Conclusions Much progress but much still to do Challenges: –Raise status, pay and skill level of workforce –Increase numbers and diversify workforce –Address viability of provision, particularly in disadvantaged areas –Increase business skills of management committees –Find European funds to replace Genesis and Kids’ Club Project