The Department for Education and Skills figures were discussed at aresearch seminar hosted by the Daycare Trust and social research agencyNatCen last week. Under the National Childcare Strategy there will be3,500 Sure Start centres - one in every community - in place by2010.
However, figures from the DfES childcare providers survey show a declinein the financial security of services, particularly private andvoluntary sector providers. In 2001, 44 per cent of full daycareproviders reported a profit, with a further 31 per cent managing tocover costs. By 2005 just 27 per cent reported making a profit and 31per cent continued to break even.
Robert Kinnaird, researcher at NatCen, said the decline in profitabilityof nurseries sat side-by-side with parents considering childcareincreasingly expensive and staff wages still way below the nationalaverage.
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