Alliance backs TUC call for emergency bailout of childcare sector
Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance said:
“We warmly welcome the call by the TUC today for an emergency government bailout of the childcare sector.
“We have long been arguing that without necessary financial support from the government, the childcare sector is at risk of collapse, a frightening reality which has been drawn ever closer by the damaging economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
“As the TUC rightly points out, nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across England are struggling to remain financially viable, and we know from our own research that 1/4 childcare providers fear closure in the next 12 months.
“Early years providers play a fundamental role in our national infrastructure and will be crucial to limiting the economic impact of Covid-19 by allowing parents, and particularly mothers, to return to work. Without urgent action the government risks sleep-walking the sector into a potentially irreversible financial crisis that will have disastrous long-term impacts on the quality and availability of childcare in this country.
“Of course, that said, while an emergency cash injection would be a very welcome step, this could only ever be a short-term solution. If we are to guarantee the long-term survival and sustainability of the childcare sector, then the government must urgently review its funding of early years and commit to sustained long-term investment which provides the sector with the financial support it desperately needs to survive.”
Editor notes
- The Early Years Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England. A registered educational charity, it also provides high-quality affordable childcare and education to support children and families in areas of deprivation throughout the country.
- The Alliance represents 14,000 members and supports them to deliver care and learning to more than 800,000 families every year. We deliver family learning projects, offer information and advice, produce specialist publications, run acclaimed training programmes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.
- The Alliance website is