Nick Clegg announces £100m childcare fund
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announces a £100m fund that will help local councils make improvements in childcare.
The pledge is an effort that will help the government reach its target of providing 100,000 two year olds with free nursery places by 2014.
The government has committed itself to providing 15 hours of free childcare to children under the age of two that are living in the poorest 40% of UK households.
The Lib Dem leader argued that a child’s future should not be determined by a postcode lottery or by the financial circumstances of their parents.
He said, “Good quality early education gives children a head start before they even start school and helps the most hard-pressed families who are struggling with the cost of child care.”
He went on to stress that the fund will help the government’s plans to deliver a “revolution” in nursery education.
The fund is to be invested in local projects, such as converting old buildings into nursery spaces.
Councils will not be told how to spend the fund, but they will be required by law to provide an acceptable level of childcare in their area.
The money has not been diverted from another department. It has been generated by government under spending in several sectors.
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