The increase in safety incidents involving children at nurseries in England highlights the importance of closely monitoring the government-funded expansion of early years education.
The expansion of free places for preschoolers in poorer areas of the country is a positive development, as it provides high-quality early learning opportunities and benefits parents, especially mothers.
Concerns about safety and the need to address potential cheating by nurseries also need to be taken seriously.
While the new nurseries launched by Bridget Phillipson are a promising start, there is more work to be done in improving the quality and affordability of early years education.