What child-care reforms say about Britain’s welfare state

Britain’s first attempt at providing universal child care fell victim to the baby boomers. The 1944 Education Act, part of the construction of Britain’s post-war welfare state, instructed local authorities to make provision for nursery places for the under-fives as well as schools for older children. The post-war surge in the birth rate, however, meant there were just far too many nippers for Britain’s cash-strapped government to fund these places and expand secondary schools. Priority was given to the older children and early-years education fell by the wayside.