Local childcare providers who group together to form networks are steadily gaining more clout. As one network chair puts it, 'Once nurseries create a formal network, the local authority has to take them more seriously. Suddenly they are in a position to influence the things that affect them.' The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) has strenuously been supporting networks in recent months, encouraging local groups to form them officially within its own guidelines. Currently there are 23 official NDNA networks and five affiliated groups, with...