MORE than 2,000 parents have been contacted by Lancashire County Council to ensure that provision of all types of childcare and education match families' needs.

The council will refine the provisional targets for increasing levels of service set by the Lancashire Early Years Development and Childcare Plan, based on the parents' responses.

Coun Hazel Harding, Lancashire's education and cultural services committee chairman, said: "We can only achieve our goal of providing a first-rate service to children if we go out and ask parents for their experiences. We recognise the difficulties in determining demand - we want to fine-tune the services on offer in the county, set targets for provision based on parents' needs and offer a real choice services in every area of the county.

"I am calling on those families who are approached as part of the survey to help by sparing a few minutes of their time to make childcare and nursery provision in Lancashire even better in the future."

The survey will run until September 19.

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