The House of Lords Committee on Affordable Childcare has published its recommendations today.

In its report, the committee stated that it believed there were three main actions a new Government must take in order to get the best value for its investment:

• To reprioritise spending in early education and childcare to focus on disadvantaged children – better value for money will be achieved by targeting those most likely to benefit
• To ensure that disadvantaged 2-year-olds access their free early education in settings rated good or outstanding by Ofsted no later than 2020
• To address the under-funding of free early education places in the Public, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector.

Responding to the committee’s report, PACEY's Chief Executive, Liz Bayram, said, "As the professional association for everyone working in childcare and early years, PACEY knows from its members how important it is that they are supported to deliver high quality care to the children they look after.

"That is why we welcome the House of Lords Committee on Affordable Childcare recommendations that government does more to ensure all disadvantaged children access their free early education in good or outstanding settings and, as part of this, address the under-funding of free early education places in the Public, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector.

"These two recommendations go hand in hand. Childcare settings cannot deliver high quality early education without adequate funding to invest in and reward the professionals working in those settings.

"Childcare remains an undervalued and poorly paid profession despite all the evidence that shows how important high quality early years interventions are to children’s future achievement and wellbeing. So, PACEY supports the committee’s recommendations but would go further and extend its ambition so that all children receive their early education in a good or outstanding setting by 2020.

The full report can be found here.