Heard Justine Roberts on the Today programme. Thank you for mentioning child development as a reason why not to increase staff child ratios. There is masses of research on the child's developing mind and the need for personal, thoughtful care. Children are nor commercial units whose care should be determined by market forces! Read the research! Trudy Marshall , assistant director of Day and residential care for Camden wrote an excellent paper as long ago as 1982 in "Social Work Service" no 32, winter 1982 "Infant Care, A Day Nursery under the Microscope" get it! Read it! Nothing much has changed! Please get involved to fight this proposal.