Nursery World - Cherie Blair calls for universal childcare

Cherie Blair is calling for a Government strategy towards universal pre-school childcare with the ultimate aim of childcare for all parents, whatever their background and the age of their children.

In her essay Modern Motherhood, published today as part of 4Children’s 30^th anniversary celebrations, the barrister and women’s rights campaigner, says there should be ‘a long-term, and staged strategy for moving towards affordable and universal childcare: for pre-school children, but as they grow up and start school too.’

While increasing the hours for thee- and four-year-olds from 15 hours to 25 hours a week would be a start, she says that ultimately the aim should be for universal childcare along the lines of Scandinavian countries.

In the essay, Cherie Blair also gives a personal account of her own experiences of becoming a parent for the first time nearly 30 years ago, when as a self-employed lawyer she had no right to maternity leave, and returned to work soon after the birth of her eldest son Euan.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included