…but there’s still a long way to go

There is one registered child care place for every five children
under the age of eight in England, according to statistics from the
Office for Standards in Education. There are now 985,400 registered
childcare places, about a third of them with childminders, a third
of them full day care places and another third places in our of
school clubs. The ratio of one to five in 2003 represents an
improvements since 2001 when there was one place per seven
children.

Daycare Trust director Stephen Burke said the figures showed the
child care gap was closing. “The government’s childcare
strategy is delivering new places, particularly in the most
disadvantaged communities.

“We now need to maintain the momentum so every family has
the choice of affordable quality child care.”