25.09.12
£100m pledged towards free nursery places
Councils in England are to receive £100m towards providing free nursery places for 100,000 two-year olds, Deputy PM Nick Clegg has announced.
The Government has committed to providing up to 15 hours of free childcare for all two-year olds in the poorest two-fifths of households by September 2014.
The funding is aimed at capital spending, such as converting buildings into nursery places, but councils will not be told exactly how to spend the money.
Speaking at the Lib Dem annual conference in Brighton, Clegg said: “So much of a child’s future is determined before they hang up their coats on their first day at school. It is vital that we do all we can to make sure a child’s potential isn’t determined by the circumstances of their birth.
“The money we are announcing today will help nurseries and child minders get ready to deliver this revolution in early education.”
Anne Longfield OBE, chief executive of the Charity 4Children commented: “This injection of new money into early years education for the country’s most disadvantaged two year olds is a welcome step from the Liberal Democrats, who have shown continuing commitment' to social mobility and the crucial role that the early years plays in transforming life chances.
“This new capital investment will take the total dedicated to the 2year old education offer to near £1bn – a potent symbol that early intervention into a children’s education is a priority.”
Longfield also called for the funding to be matched with a continued strategy for matching demand in disadvantaged areas.
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