Committees

Support for childcare and the early years

Inquiry

The Education Committee has launched an inquiry into support for childcare and the early years. The inquiry will examine how easy to navigate the current childcare system is for parents and carers, and whether current childcare entitlements are providing families with affordable and flexible childcare. The Committee will assess the effectiveness of the different funding entitlements, including those funded by the Department for Education, the Tax-Free Childcare scheme and support for childcare from the benefits and tax credit system.

Additionally, it will examine how support for childcare impacts upon parents/carers returning to work.

The inquiry will also explore early years provisions and examine how it prepares young children for their transition into primary education.

It will also look at the current workforce issues faced by early years practitioners, and the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic may have worsened existing workforce challenges.

The Committee’s new inquiry will also look at the Government’s consultation on changing childcare ratios in early years settings, which proposed changing the current staff-to-child ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 for 2-year-olds.

Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 11:59pm on 19 January 2023.

Upcoming events

View all events

No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 9 May 2023
10:00am Public
Support for childcare and the early years - Oral evidence 9 May 2023
10:00am
  • Claire Coutinho (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing) at Department for Education)
  • Susie Owen (Director of Early Years, Childcare, Families and Analysis at Department for Education)
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 18 April 2023
10:00am Public
Support for childcare and the early years - Oral evidence 18 April 2023
10:00am
  • Christine Farquharson (Associate Director at Institute for Fiscal Studies)
  • Professor Eva Lloyd (Director at International Centre for the Study of the Mixed Economy of Childcare, University of East London)
  • Professor Birgitta Rabe (Professor of Economics at Institute for Social and Economic Success)
11:00am
  • Iain Mansfield (Director of Research and Head of Education and Science at Policy Exchange)
  • Adam Hawksbee (Deputy Director at Onward)
  • Dr Tammy Campbell (Early Years Lead at Education Policy Institute)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 21 March 2023
10:00am Public
Support for childcare and the early years - Oral evidence 21 March 2023
10:00am
  • Victoria Benson (CEO at Gingerbread)
  • Joeli Brearley (CEO and Founder at Pregnant Then Screwed)
  • Mrs Anne Fennell (Chair at Mothers at Home Matter)
10:45am
  • Mary Mulvey-Oates (Early Years Project Manager at Contact)
  • Jolanta Lasota (Chief Executive at Ambitious about Autism)
  • Jane Harris (Chief Executive at Speech and Language UK)
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 21 February 2023
10:00am Public
Support for childcare and the early years - Oral evidence 21 February 2023
10:00am
  • Emma Gardner (Quality Manager at Early Years and Childcare, Spring by Action for Children)
  • Gemma Rolstone (Director of Quality at Puffins Childcare, Devon)
  • Kara Jewell (Childminder and Nursery Director at Sparkle Lodge Early Years, Portsmouth)
  • Professor Celia Greenway (Deputy Pro-vice Chancellor and Professor in Education (Early Years and Child Development Lead) at University of Birmingham)
  • Dr Julian Grenier CBE (Head Teacher at Sheringham Nursery School and Children's Centre, East London)
Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.