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The Early Years Alliance has issued a comment in response to the news that the proposed changes to the Nursery Milk Scheme have been delayed until 2023.

The changes were previously due to come into force on 1 August 2022 and would have meant providers would be asked to share redacted copies of their attendance registers along with notes on any children unexpectedly absent from settings. 

The letter from the Department of Health and Social Care relating to this can be found .

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

“While the news that changes to the Nursery Milk Scheme have been delayed until next year may offer some limited comfort to providers, the fact remains that the proposed extra requirements for settings claiming under the scheme are both unworkable and unnecessary. 

“Not only is the early years sector in the midst of a severe recruitment and retention crisis but we know from our own research that excessive paperwork and administrative requirements are the most commonly-cited causes of stress among early educators. Clearly then, these changes are the very last thing the sector needs at such a challenging time.  

“The government should be focusing on supporting early years professionals, not adding to their already sky-high workloads. We urge the Department for Health to reverse these plans and to instead work with the sector to address any concerns about the way the scheme is currently operating.