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Commenting on the latest аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± early years statistics, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said:

"The fact that 94% of nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are now rated 'good' or 'outstanding' is a testament to the hard work and dedication of early years practitioners across the country, especially given that so many providers are struggling to keep their businesses afloat as a result of government underfunding.

"We know that the pressures of delivering the so-called free entitlement without sufficient funding can have a real detrimental impact on the quality of provision, and so it's absolutely vital that the government funds the early years sector adequately if this positive trend is to continue."

Commenting on the continued decline in childminder numbers, Neil said:

"It is incredibly concerning that the number of childminders in the sector is continuing to fall at such a rapid rate. To lose nearly 15,000 childminders over the course of five years is clearly a completely unsustainable position and it's time the government took action to tackle this decline.

"Childminders are a vital source of quality, flexible care and education, and will be vital to the long-term delivery of the 30-hour scheme. With some areas of the country already struggling to meet the demand for 30-hours places, now more than ever, we simply cannot afford to be losing experienced quality practitioners from the early years workforce."  

"Childminders are a vital source of quality, flexible care and education, and will be vital to the long-term delivery of the 30-hour scheme. With some areas of the country already struggling to meet the demand for 30-hours places, now more than ever, we simply cannot afford to be losing experienced quality practitioners from the early years workforce."  

 

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE

The Pre-school Learning 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 member settings 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 and accreditation schemes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.

 The Alliance website is    

The Alliance is running the Fair Future Funding campaign, which calls on the government to ensure that early years funding meets the rising cost of providing 'free entitlement' places. The campaign has 5000 supporters to date.