The role that nurseries play in supplementing family care is an important subject - but in the UK, there is currently little consensus about what nurseries should provide, how they should be run, and who should pay for them. This topical book sets out to look at: . Who benefits from using nurseries? . Who can access nurseries? . Who should provide them? . How do children behave while they are in nurseries and after they leave them? . What do they learn as a result of these experiences in nurseries? . What are the myths and assumptions about bringing up children that make nurseries possible? Some countries, particularly in the Nordic regions, have managed to deal with these issues coherently, but the current blanket solutions in the UK, which are geared towards fiscal priorities, may need rethinking. In this book, Helen Penn attempts to answer the question: Is there a more considered way ahead?

Helen Penn is Professor Emerita at the University of East London.