Alliance praises early years sector as childcare costs in England stabilise
4th March 2014
Commenting on the news that the majority of childcare prices in England rose below the rate of inflation in 2013 - 2014, as revealed in the latest Family and Childcare Trust’s Childcare costs survey, published today, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said:
“The fact that childcare costs in England have stabilised over the past year will be welcome news for parents across the country. However, for the government to attribute this positive trend to their own ‘reforms’ is completely disingenuous. Let’s be clear on this: these real-term cost reductions are due entirely to the efforts of early years providers, many of whom continue to subsidise perpetually-underfunded free entitlement schemes, even though this often means an ongoing struggle to break-even or in many cases, operating at a loss. It is their unwavering commitment to supporting families and providing high-quality affordable childcare that has resulted in this real-term reduction in costs — and it’s worth noting that this is something that will benefit all families, not just those who fit the narrow criteria of existing government policies such as tax credits.”
“Relying on providers to continue to prop up a flawed system, however, is not a sustainable solution — the government simply must start investing properly in the early years sector. The current situation — in which early years providers are substantially unfunded, practitioners are paid some of the lowest wages in Europe, and cuts to local authority funding have meant a reduction in vital support, training and guidance on a local level — is simply untenable in the long-term.
“For years now, the government has stood by and done nothing to address the inequity and inadequacy of early years funding in England. If it is to achieve its goal of high-quality, affordable, accessible childcare, this has to change.”
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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: