The childcare system in England is broken. Our nurseries are among the most expensive in the world, but our childcare professionals are some of the lowest paid workers in society. For a long time, government policy on childcare has been badly thought out and severely underfunded. More recently, big international chains have moved into the sector.

So, what should be done? How would we fix the childcare system? And what would it mean for families, and for the country, if we finally got it right? This week Ayeisha is joined by Helen Penn, Visiting Professor at the UCL Institute of Education, Amy Martin, Creative Director of Impact Hub Birmingham, and Lucie Stephens, Head of Co-production at NEF.

ALSO: Last chance to register to vote!

Register by 11.59pm on Tuesday 26 November:

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Register if you haven’t got a fixed or permanent address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-to-vote-if-you-havent-got-a-fixed-or-permanent-address