Speaking at the 4Children conference in Westminster last week, NaomiEisenstadt, senior research fellow in the education department at OxfordUniversity, praised the Government for maintaining the free entitlementof 15 hours a week for all threeand four-year-olds and for expandingFamily Nurse Partnerships.
But she warned, 'This notion that you can improve children's outcomeswithout reducing the pressure on families is wrong. The cuts tochildcare benefits are only going to create more pressure on familylife.'
Ms Eisenstadt, who was the first director of the Sure Start Unit and isformer chief advisor of children's services, added, 'I am nervous aboutthe Government's plans to target children's centre services at theneediest. We know that children mixing is a very good thing. Children'scentres should be about welcoming whoever turns up.'
Ms Eisenstadt suggested that children's centres could improve theirtake-up among disadvantaged families by building a link with their localbenefit office.
She said, 'All families are in touch with some public service, but itcan be very random as to which public service they have contact with.However, we know that disadvantaged families tend to have a relationshipwith benefit offices so it would make sense for benefit offices to linkup with children's centres.'
Children's minister Sarah Teather, who also spoke at the conference,called for help from the early years workforce in putting together theGovernment's policy statement for the early years, which is due to bepublished in the summer.
