Pre-school childcare in England, 1939-2010 is an innovative study of the relationship between child development theories, childcare practices and children's experiences.

Looking at childcare outside the home in four different forms: day nurseries, nursery schools and classes, playgroups and childminders, the book navigates how both individual families and wider society managed the care of young children in the context of dramatic increases in the employment of mothers.

The book demonstrates that three principal arguments shaped the experience of all those involved; firstly, that care for the under-fives was the responsibility of individual families, not the state; secondly, that young children were best off at home with their mothers; and thirdly, it was desired that any care that was offered to the under-fives should be cost effective. Through its innovative use of a new body of oral history interviews with childcare workers and users, this important book charts how the debates surrounding child development influenced the provision and practice of care and the consequences on those involved.

Childcare remains an issue fraught with controversies and in the public eye. Through its consideration of the relationship between current perspectives and past attitudes, Pre-school childcare in England will be valuable reading for students, researchers and practitioners working in early years' services and related disciplines, and for those interested in twentieth century British social history.