The number of registered child-minders has fallen by more than 30,000 since 1996. Six years ago there were 102,600 registered minders but by last year there were only 72,300, Margaret Hodge, minister for lifelong learning, told Eleanor Laing, an Opposition spokesperson for education and skills. Mrs Hodge said she was concerned about the decline as the Government valued registered childminding. Its strategy to reverse this trend includes a four-year recruitment campaign, start-up grants and a support network.
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