The Government's 10-year strategy for childcare, included as part of Gordon Brown's Pre-Budget Report last week, is striking for a number of reasons.

Significantly, it acknowledges several tensions that have run through the debate about government provision of childcare. One of these is about parental choice.

The strategy document states explicitly that a childcare system developed purely around the needs of the labour market would probably not be in the best interests of children, for instance by forcing mothers back to work too soon after giving birth. It therefore seeks to reassure parents that they will be able to choose, not just whether and when to return to work but also the type of childcare that might be appropriate to their needs.

Another thing worth remarking on is the emphasis the strategy document places on quality. It talks almost as much about child development as it does about the economic and social reasons for the Government's interest in childcare. "The evidence on child development ... tells us that government involvement in childcare provision cannot be limited to securing adequate supply to support labour market participation," it says. "Government needs to care about the quality of childcare."

There are several levers for achieving quality. One of these is the inspection system. But the one it devotes the most space to is a high-quality workforce. "Working with pre-school children should have as much status as a profession as teaching children in schools," the strategy says. This is a very ambitious statement. Achieving it would transform the childcare system.

The strategy doesn't give much detail about how this is to be achieved, but it does set some starting points. The Government has given the Children's Workforce Development Council the task of consulting on a new qualification and career structure over the coming year.

The reform of the children's workforce was dealt with in very general terms in the Every Child Matters green paper. The Treasury's interest implies that once concrete proposals have been consulted and decided on, they will be backed up with funding. And that will give a new level of interest and focus to workforce issues over the coming year.