Reports out last year again told us that England is the most expensive place in the world to send your child to nursery (see Save the Children and Daycare Trust report September 2011). But there is never a reason given in these articles and reports as to why childcare in the UK is so expensive.
I only wish that some of these report writers would spend as much time researching the reasons why it is as so expensive as they do on researching that it is! After talking to a number of learned colleagues many put forward the view that we in the UK, and particularly England, have more regulatory controls and demands than most other similar countries. And it is these controls and demands that place such a heavy burden on providers that just to comply with these regulations make our services so costly.
The Cabinet Office's Red Tape Challenge is an ideal opportunity to get those that work within the early years sector to challenge some of these regulations – some seem to be so set in stone, many in early years believe that it has always been like that. This is not true as most of the red tape we find in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) came out of its processor, the Early Years Daycare Standards and the Early Years Session Care Standards, which in turn was proceeded by regulations set out by individual local authorities and social services (the old under-8's office as some would know it as).
Many of these controls and regulations are based on situation and practices back in the 1980s and take no account of today's better trained and better qualified staff or modern practices within early year settings. I know I would relish the opportunity to sit down with others and look section by section at every "set in stone" statutory regulation within the EFYS – even Dame Tickell's review shied away from these "sacred cows" – whether they are right or wrong I do not know but surely it is time to challenge their validity. I know I would be happier knowing the regulations we are controlled by are "fit for purpose".
