The DfE has given the charity more than £1m to set up early years programmes over two years, including one that will allow the most qualified practitioners to each look after up to four two-year-olds and up to 13 children aged over three.
NDNA said it was yet to finalise exact details with the department, but will investigate how providers can make full use of existing flexibilities around child-to-staff ratios in the early years curriculum – the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
The government is currently embroiled in a political storm over its plans to raise child-to-staff ratios to six-to-one for two-year-olds.
Claire Schofield, policy director at NDNA, said it was too early to tell if the project would explore the greater child-to-staff ratios proposed in the government’s More Great Childcare proposals, but said the project would develop “to meet what the sector needs and what the government wants to look at over the two-year period”.
“Anything we do around trailing deployment will be working within EYFS and within Ofsted regulations,” said Schofield.
“Quality will remain an absolute priority. We’re looking at effective ways to test deployment of staff to meet children’s needs, but we want to do that to inform high-quality practice.
“We wouldn’t do anything that would compromise quality or safety and we wouldn’t be asking our members or parents to participate in anything that would do that.”
NDNA’s chief executive Purnima Tanuku has previously stated that the charity does not support the government’s plans to allow early years providers to care for more children.
Earlier this month she urged the government to reconsider the proposals.
“NDNA has been asking government to stop, rethink and listen to the sector, evidence from academics and parents – early years practitioners and parents don't want these changes,” said Tanuku.
A DfE spokeswoman confirmed that of the grants announced this month through its voluntary, community and social enterprise sector funding stream, NDNA’s project was the only one that would explore plans to alter ratios.
“The grant awarded to the NDNA will cover a wide range of activities,” she said.
“This includes work on the most effective distribution of staff, including encouraging highly-qualified staff to work in the early years.”
NDNA will also use the funding to deliver 54 training sessions across England over two years, which will cover how best to deploy staff in early years settings with a particular focus on two-year-olds.
The charity will also investigate models for integrated wraparound care and set up an early years maths champions scheme.
