Squeezed parents cannot afford childcare So why does the British Government spend more on childcare than France or Germany, even though the costs to parents are sky high? As always, under the previous government, money was frittered away without adequate focus on improving quality. Instead of clear and transparent funding, four separate funding streams were created, skewing the market and confusing parents and providers alike. The majority of the money was given away in cash benefits, so much of it did not get through to the front line. Parents want to know their children will receive high quality early education and care, while childcare professionals want to be able to get on with the job free from bureaucratic interference. Sadly, the last government adopted the language of professionalism but failed to deliver. Those running nurseries and childminding operations were micromanaged rather than treated as professionals. There are, however, some encouraging signs that childcare is becoming a more attractive profession for graduates. The percentage of paid staff holding a higher level qualification rose from 65 per cent in 2007 to 79 per cent in 2011. Now the Government needs to encourage and respond to these changes, by working with professionals rather than against them. The truth is that "early years" professionals in England are still poorly paid and lack freedom. We want to make childcare a truly attractive profession so that parents can have confidence in the education and care their children are receiving. But there's another hurdle: parental choice has been diminished. Over the Labour government's period in office, the number of childminders almost halved, as they received less money from the state than their counterparts in childcare centres. I have met many childminders who are frustrated that the system focuses on ticking boxes, while missing the high quality service they provide to parents. We are looking at how to allow new childcare providers to enter the system, while making it easier for existing providers to get on by cutting red tape. This would take place within the existing Ofsted regulatory structure, which is trusted by parents and valued by the profession. Ofsted will still inspect individual childminders. The underlying philosophy is similar to the Government's school reforms: trusting local leaders to deliver, giving them flexibility, and making them accountable with strong safeguards. Over the coming months I am keen to work with parents and childcare professionals to develop reforms that will help address these problems and make sure that we have a simple, efficient and high quality system that we can all be proud of. That way we can help more families find affordable, high quality childcare and ensure that those in the profession are rewarded well for the important jobs they do. Elizabeth Truss is the Minister for Childcare and Education