The news is mostly very good. Thanks to government funding, the cost of full-time childcare in England for children under two has fallen by a remarkable 39% since last year. This figure, from the children’s charity Coram’s 25th annual nursery survey, offers a good moment to reflect on how far the country has come in that quarter-century.
In 1995, nursery vouchers existed for a few, but only 4% of children under five in England were in nursery. The political right argued that young children were the responsibility of families, not the state, and that mothers should stay at home. The strong cohort of Labour women who arrived in Parliament in 1997, led by veteran Harriet Harman with her childcare strategy, fought hard to finally add the missing ‘cradle’ to the ‘cradle to grave’ welfare state. In 2003, the Treasury introduced childcare tax credits, though primarily as a way to get women into work. Then, in 2004, the government extended free part-time nursery places to all three- and four-year-olds in England. That was a giant step—but every step of the way was a fight, and it still is.
Perhaps soon, no one will remember this fight, as new parents take free childcare for granted, like all free schooling. Since last September, parents have been able to claim 30 hours a week of state-funded childcare for children from nine months old until they start school. This could save working parents an average of £8,000 a year per child. Note what campaigners always predicted: just in the past year, these extra free nursery hours have enabled nearly a third of parents to increase their working hours.
Families can also save up to £450 from free breakfast clubs and £500 more in September, when half a million more children will get free school meals. As ever, there is a desperate shortage of Send nursery places; parents are waiting to see if new staff training as part of Labour’s Send reform can fill that gap.
Early years education has always been a top priority for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who has fended off noisier demands from universities and cash-strapped schools. According to the New Economics Foundation, short-term spending on early years education pays for itself and more in the long run. So, it’s worth celebrating that 84% of three-year-olds and 93% of four-year-olds in England now attend nurseries.
Is that it? No, not nearly, not yet.
Early years childcare is neither totally free nor universal. Those precious 30 free hours are only available during the 38 weeks of term time, so parents must pay for the holiday gap; one week for a child under two can cost around £189. Funding is too low at a time of rising energy and staff costs, and many nurseries charge extra for meals, trips, nappies, sun cream, or anything else they can think of. Private nurseries, often run by large private equity chains, are concentrated in wealthier areas, shunning families who can’t pay for extra hours. Voluntary nurseries that refuse to cut staff or lower standards have been closing; the not-for-profit Early Years Alliance has shrunk from 132 nurseries to only 27.
But here is the great perversity that undermines the key social purpose of the nursery movement: early years education does the most good for the most deprived children, yet those children are ineligible for the full hours until they reach the age of three. What makes them ‘ineligible’? The very things that make them deprived. If their parents don’t work or work too little to earn £10,158 a year, the child gets nothing until age two, and then only half as many hours as others. This malevolent discrimination was the last government’s kicker, declaring that parents not working should care for their own children. This ignores how many parents struggle with mental health, addiction, or severe family problems, leaving their children facing the double disadvantage of difficulties at home and no early intervention to offset them.
This year’s report from the charity Kindred Squared found that about a third of children in England who started reception in 2025 were…Many children are not ready for school. Some are still in nappies, cannot use knives and forks, struggle to sit still, speak very little, and lack social skills. Some teachers believe less time in early years education has contributed to these problems.
Kellyann Maguire, manager of an Early Years Alliance nursery in Newark, warns that the social gap is widening. The new free hours mean most children benefit from more nursery time and rush ahead, while those who are ineligible fall further behind. A three-year-old boy at her nursery arrived unable to speak—he only grunted and became easily frustrated when he couldn’t express himself. After six months, he was speaking in three-word sentences. “A huge advance,” she says. “But if we’d had him from nine months, he’d have caught up by now.” Will he ever catch up? She isn’t sure, after he missed those vital early years.
“Break down barriers to opportunity” is one of Keir Starmer’s five missions, and high-quality early years education “to transform life chances” is in Labour’s manifesto. The party is serious. Ending the two-child cap removed the most punitive anti-poor policy inherited from the Conservatives. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is equally committed to ending discrimination in nursery hours. But as with the two-child cap, finding the necessary funding from the Treasury takes time. Privately, Labour says it will secure the money—and the Coram report shows how much revenue flows to the Treasury when parents can work more hours.
Until then, it is a shame that this issue risks undermining the remarkable progress toward treating nurseries as part of the free, universal education system.
Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist.
Guardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink?
On Thursday 30 April, join Gaby Hinsliff, Zoe Williams, Polly Toynbee and Rafael Behr as they discuss the threat Labour faces from the Green party and Reform UK—and whether Keir Starmer can survive as leader.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Securing Quality Early Childhood Care
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What exactly is early childhood care
Early childhood care refers to the supervision education and nurturing provided to children from birth to around age 8 This includes daycare preschool prekindergarten and inhome care settings that support a childs development health and safety while parents or guardians work or attend to other responsibilities
2 Why is securing good early childhood care such a big deal
The first few years of a childs life are critical for brain development social skills and emotional wellbeing Highquality care sets a strong foundation for future learning behavior and health When care is unreliable unaffordable or lowquality it stresses families and can negatively impact a childs longterm outcomes
3 What are the main benefits of highquality early care
For Children Better school readiness improved social and cognitive skills and stronger emotional regulation
For Families Parents can work or pursue education with peace of mind leading to greater financial stability
For Society A more prepared future workforce reduced need for later remedial education and stronger communities
4 Whats the biggest problem families face
Cost and accessibility Highquality care is often prohibitively expensive and there are frequently not enough available spots in licensed programs creating long waitlists This is often called a child care desert
Advanced Practical Questions
5 Beyond cost what makes early childhood care a struggle for so many
The struggle is multilayered
Workforce Crisis Early educators are severely underpaid leading to high turnover and staffing shortages
System Fragmentation The system is a patchwork of private providers public programs and informal arrangements with inconsistent standards and funding
Access Inequity Families in rural areas communities of color and those with children with disabilities often face even greater barriers to finding suitable care
6 What does taking up the fight once more mean in practical terms
It means renewing advocacy and action on multiple fronts
Policy Pushing for sustained public investment to make care more affordable for families and to better compensate educators
Business Engagement Encouraging employers to offer child care benefits or support
