While some of this is down to the current baby boom, much of the additional demand has been driven by the expansion of subsidised childcare places for two-year-olds. This has been achieved through a combination of spare existing capacity and new capacity. But is it sustainable?
It is a different picture in the Netherlands. Let's not forget that the previous childcare minister Liz Truss was keen to reduce ratios and learn from Dutch childcare legislation - but there are certainly warnings to heed from the experience across the water. I am working as an adviser to one of the Netherlands' largest childcare providers, now rebranded as Smallsteps. The childcare industry there is at breaking point with many providers facing bankruptcy and closure. Several factors have contributed to the childcare crisis. The Dutch introduced legislation, the 2005 Childcare Act, aimed at encouraging the privatisation and marketisation of childcare in order to promote maternal employment.
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