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Please find below a comment from the Early Years Alliance in response to the Department for Education's 2022 Childcare and Early Years Parent Survey, which can be read . It shows the following:

• Since 2021 there has been an increase in the percentage of parents of childcare aged 0 to 4 years old who are finding it difficult or very difficult to meet their childcare costs, from just under a quarter in 2021 (24%) to around a third (32%) in 2022.
• There was a fall in the percentage of parents with children aged 0 to 4 years old who felt that the number of local childcare places was 'about right', from 46% in 2021 to 41% in 2022. As a result, there was also an increase in the percentage of parents of children aged 0 to 4 years old only who felt there were not enough childcare places from 28% in 2021 to 34% in 2022.
• Only 60% of working mothers of 0-4 year-olds said that having reliable childcare helped them to go to work.

Commenting Neil Leitch CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said:

"Today’s survey results show exactly what happens when you leave a sector underfunded and inadequately supported.

"Not only are almost a third of families with pre-school aged children struggling with early years costs, but 34% said there were not enough childcare and early years places. We know that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders doing all they can to both keep costs down for parents and provide flexible places, but when faced with years of underfunding and an ever-worsening recruitment and retention crisis, it is fast becoming an impossible task.

"What’s more, the fact only 60% of mothers with children under four said having reliable childcare helped them to work is deeply concerning, especially when considering the upcoming expansion of the 30-hour-offer. If the system is not working now, adding more hours while continuing to underfund providers is clearly only going to make the situation much worse.

"If the government truly values the importance of the early years it must urgently engage with the sector to ensure that families can benefit from early years places and providers are able to deliver high-quality places."