Westminster must focus as much on deprived families as it does the number of free hours of childcare available to parents.
Adults from happy, stable families have more positive recollections of childcare, according to a study by the University of Warwick. It suggests that disadvantaged families must be considered by the Government when legislating on free pre-school childcare, to secure the best outcome for young children.
Dr Angela david has published a book on the topic. She said: "Childcare has always been a hot topic and there’ve been disagreements over the years about what’s better for children, whether it’s day nurseries, nursery schools and classes, playgroups, child-minders, or just staying at home with mum.
"What my findings show is that the memories of adults are largely determined by the quality of family life – rather than how they were looked after when they were young. If you’re from a happy home, you’re likely to remember childcare positively, regardless of what those arrangements were. Even good quality childcare will not alone militate against the effects of deprivation and disadvantage; early intervention working with parents, as well as children, will have the best long-term outcomes.
"Hence the proposed increased in the number of free childcare hours for three and four year olds needs to take place in tandem with continued support for families in the form of schemes such as Sure Start or the Troubled Families programme."
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