Alliance comments on Policy Exchange report on free childcare
26th January 2016
Commenting on ‘Time to Care’, a new report by the Policy Exchange on the 30 hour free-entitlement offer, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said:
“We are disappointed that this report fails to recognise that the primary issue with the current model of childcare in England is that it is significantly underfunded. A parental voucher system ‘funded and paid for by government’ may sound simple in theory, but in reality, government funding has not covered the cost of delivering quality early years care and education for many years now. Any new childcare model that does not recognise this is doomed to fail from the start.
“We also reject the suggestion that the fact the providers cannot cross-subsidise under the 30-hour offer is positive because it will encourage ‘efficiency’. °ϲʹ are already incredibly efficient - that is why, despite chronic underfunding, the vast majority are rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ and take-up for the three- and four-year-old offer remains high. The fact is, however, that the childcare system has historically survived on a combination of cross-subsidies and the good will of providers, neither of which can be relied on in the long term.”
For further information or to interview, Neil Leitch, Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance please contact:
Shannon Hawthorne
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7697 2598
E: Shannon Hawthorne
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notes for editors
- 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: