Alliance comments on new early years funding rates for 2018/19

Commenting on the new local authority early years funding rates for 2018/19, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said:

"The publication of the new early years funding rates for 2018/19 show exactly why so many childcare providers are so worried about their long-term viability. Despite the fact that we are seeing staff wages, rents and mortgages, insurance costs and business rates all increase, the vast majority of local authorities in England won't receive a penny more in government funding for the so-called free entitlement next year. Worse still, 14% of councils will actually see a fall in funding. How can this possibly be sustainable?

"We have long warned that if funding rates don't increase in line with rising early years delivery costs, more and more nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are going to be forced out of business. The vast majority of childcare providers in this country support the idea of free childcare in theory, but they cannot be expected to deliver it if they are suffering a real-terms loss in funding year after year.

"With over 5000 providers and parents now signed up to our Fair Future Funding campaign calling on the Department for Education to tackle this problem as a matter of priority, it's time for the government to act if it's going to have any chance of preventing a genuine childcare crisis in this country.

 

ENDS



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