Alliance comments on Lib Dem free childcare plan
3rd September 2014
Commenting on Liberal Democrat plans to extend free childcare to all two-year-olds by 2020, Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch said:
“All young children should have access to high-quality early education and care and this announcement is likely to be welcomed by families currently struggling with the rising cost of childcare.
“However, while we fully support the motivation behind these plans, unless more is done to tackle the chronic underfunding of the existing free entitlement offers, this initiative - though commendable in its aims - will simply not succeed in the long-term.
“Our recent Early Years Agenda survey of nearly 1300 childcare professionals found that the funding currently given to early years providers offering two-year-old places is, on average, 60p per child per hour less than the cost of delivering these places. It’s this ongoing lack of adequate funding that has meant that, on the week of the extension of the scheme to 40% of two-year-olds, there is still a significant shortfall in available places in many areas.
“The current situation - where providers themselves are forced to subsidise free entitlement offers to be able to continue delivering places to the families that need them - is simply unsustainable. As such, it is vital that any steps to extend existing offers are only taken after those developing policy have gained a full and clear understanding of the true cost delivering funded places, and can ensure that the initiative can be adequately funded.”
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Notes for editors
- The Early Years Agenda survey ran from 6 March 2014 to 9 May 2014 and was open to all early years practitioners. The survey, which received 1270 responses, focused on five broad early years policy areas: schools, funding, qualifications, childminder agencies and °ϲʹ. It found that 54% of providers currently offering free entitlement places for two-year-olds do not feel that they currently receive sufficient funding (compared to 32% who do).
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.
- Through direct provision and its membership of 14,000 nurseries, sessional pre-schools and parent and toddler groups, the Alliance supports over 800,000 children and their families in England. The Alliance also develops and runs family learning programmes, offers information and advice, runs acclaimed training and accreditation programmes and campaigns to influence early years policy and practice.
- For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: