HC Deb 14 January 2002 vol 378 cc18-9W
Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many initiatives requiring action by pre-school organisations have been initiated by the Government in 2001. [23401]

Margaret Hodge

In addition to existing programmes, a total of five new programmes were launched by Government in 2001, providing enhanced opportunities for pre-school organisations and focused on increasing funding for the early years and child care sector and raising quality and standards for parents and children. A list is provided for information.

The expansion and development of existing early years programmes such as the universal nursery provision for all three and four-year-olds, has also provided a welcome boost to the sector.

Also introduced in September 2001 were the National Standards for Under 8s Day Care and Childminding, and the transfer of Regulation of Day Care to Ofsted.

Initiatives launched 2001

1. The Local Network Fund:

This was launched in May 2001 to enable local voluntary and community groups to provide local solutions to child poverty. The fund provides grants up to £7,000 for work with children and young people aged 0–19. Projects run by voluntary organisations for pre-school children are already benefiting from the fund.

2. Universal Nursery Provision for three and four year olds:

Funding of £200 million has been made available in 2001–02 to provide up to 170,000 free part-time early education places for three-year-olds. The majority of these new free places are expected to be in the private, voluntary and independent sectors including pre-schools. To obtain this funding pre-schools must apply to their local education authority.

3. Day Care Expansion programme:

Supported with £4 million of ESF was introduced in March 2001. The grant is aimed at encouraging and assisting providers in all sectors to make the move to provision of longer care, ideally full day care but certainly not less than four hours. Application for funding would be through EYDCPs.

4. Playgroups provide day care/wraparound:

An initiative was introduced to aid the conversion, by 2004, of at least 21,000 playgroups places to move to day care/wraparound care provision. The aim of this initiative is to enable playgroup places to be converted from sessional provision to day care, or wraparound care, combining early years education and care. This assists parents by allowing them sufficient time to take up employment, training or educational opportunities. Capital funding of £6 million is being made available from 2002–03 to aid this conversion programme. This initiative contributes to the Government's strategic aim of creating 1.6 million new child care places by March 2004.

5. Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative (NNI):

This is part of the Government's wider Neighbourhood Childcare strategy. The NNI aims to create new child care places in day nurseries, in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. It aims to help reduce child poverty by helping parents take up work and training that will help them into work. It should also improve the life chances of children through access to quality care, early education and support.

National Standards for Under 8s Day Care and Childminding, and the transfer of Regulation of Day Care to Ofsted

Regulation under OFSTED provides for a single, national policy on the regulation of day care providers and child minders, which will help to ensure consistency of policy and procedures across the whole of England.