Pre-school learning alliance

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Pre-school Learning Alliance is a leading early years charity and the largest voluntary sector provider of quality, affordable childcare for young children in England.

The Alliance offers professional and practical support to over 15,000 early years settings and nearly 800,000 young children and their families every year.

Key products and services include specialist publications, free information and advice, business development support, childcare services, quality assurance packages, campaigning, research, training and family learning programmes. The Alliance has been commended as ‘one of the best training providers in England’ by the Adult Learning Inspectorate and delivers training to thousands of early years professionals every year.

[edit] History of the charity

In 1961 a young London mother, Belle Tutaev, wrote to The Guardian newspaper about how, in the absence of a state nursery place for her young daughter, she had set up a group of her own. The response was overwhelming, from people wanting to establish such groups and from some already running them. The writer of the letter borrowed a typewriter, set up a duplicator in her garage and started to put people in touch with one another. Within a year, in August 1962, 150 members attended the first AGM of what was to become a major educational charity.

By 1966 membership had increased to 1,300 and the new organisation opened its first office with a staff of two. Within the next year membership almost doubled again, to 2,200, and the Department for Education and Science provided the charity with a grant to employ its first national adviser. The aims of the organisation at first were twofold: mutual support for those running groups and also the lobbying of government to emphasise the importance of pre-school provision and to seek the withdrawal of Circular 8/60 which prevented state nursery expansion.

It soon became apparent however that the new charity and its groups were not merely remedying the lack of state nursery provision; they were accomplishing something much more. The direct involvement and empowerment of the children's own parents had a powerful effect not only on the children's learning but also on the parents themselves:

• Children learn better when their parents are involved. Seeing their own families validated and powerful gives them a secure base from which to progress, and parents who feel part of the pre-school are in a better position to reinforce at home the learning which has occurred in the group.
• Adults who discover, as children do, that "I can do it myself" become confident partners in the world of education rather than mere consumers. In addition to the advantages this offers the child - and any subsequent children - it can also extend personal and educational development for the parents themselves. 40,000 adults a year now attend Pre-school Learning Alliance courses, many of them going on to further training and career developments.

For these reasons pre-schools (playgroups) were quickly seen - both within and outside the movement - as having something very special to offer. Sir Keith Joseph in 1973 described the family support they offered as "an essential social service". The Plowden Report in 1966, while recommending nursery expansion, had declared that this would succeed only "if it carries the parents into partnership". This emphasis on the role and support of families was echoed in other reports, notably the Halsey Report on Educational Priority in 1972 and the Court Report in 1976.

By the time Margaret Thatcher, then Secretary of State for Education, published the White Paper 'A Framework for Expansion' in 1972, Lady Plowden was the President of the Association, committed to the unique role of its member groups. In her response to the White Paper, she said, "It is time for those who are planning this nursery expansion to look at the achievements of the playgroup movement". In 1978 she said of the still expanding membership, which by then numbered 13,500, "We must ensure that they and all they stand for remain firmly entrenched in the planning, organisation and provision of facilities for the under-fives and their parents."

In 1982, HRH the Princess of Wales became the charity's patron. By then the membership of 17,000 was supported by a network of local branches, a nucleus of field staff and a head office in a south London youth centre.

In 1987 the charity embarked on a far reaching review of its services. This culminated in 1991 with the adoption of a new constitution, in which the national and local structures of the charity were united into one single organisation.

As a result of the need to demonstrate the educational value that playgroups offer to young children, the charity's members voted for a formal change of name to Pre-school Learning Alliance in 1995 and also adopted a new corporate logo. Since then many member groups began to change their names from playgroup to pre-school.

A new era of heightened political interest in early year’s education and care began in the late 1990’s. The introduction of Nursery Vouchers in 1997 brought the potential for much needed funding into many groups, but unfortunately many schools were attracted by additional funds and either lowered admission ages for reception classes or opened new nursery units. This resulted in a dramatic rise in the closure of pre-schools across the country. This heralded an opportunity for the Pre-school learning Alliance to increase its campaigning profile.

1999 saw the launch of the National Childcare Strategy and the Sure Start Initiative, while the Pre-schools Matter Campaign sought to reverse the trend of closures, with MPs received campaigning letters from members across the country.

The year 2000, From Playdough to Plato brought the new campaign to MPs attention with an MPs painting competition.

2001 marked a year of celebration in recognition of the charity’s 40th birthday and the launch of a two year campaign, Pre-schools XL, which made national press with its topical MPs musical chairs competition, won by Ann Widdecombe.

On 1st April 2003, the charity was incorporated as a charitable company limited by guarantee. The Alliance also warmly welcomed the green paper, Every Child Matters, and its underlying aim to give every child the best chances in life and the changing lives changing life campaign was launched to raise the importance of parental involvement and parental choice. This campaign has been continued into 2005 with a new emphasis on workforce reform and nutrition for under-fives.

In June 2003 the charity was proud to officially open its first neighbourhood nursery, the number of which has steadily increased.

By October 2004 the charity had opened 18 neighbourhood nurseries……