аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½±

Commenting on the report, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance said:

"This latest briefing shows the appalling way government has traded on the goodwill of the early years sector. The report is clear that early years settings are facing huge additional financial strain, staffing pressures and anxiety around keeping staff safe, but government has failed time and again to provide they additional help they need, such as with access testing and to cover additional costs. 

"аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± have been resilient, flexible, and committed to supporting children’s needs as they return to their settings. The dedication they have shown, in the face of such huge challenges, is worthy of enormous praise, which makes this lack of support all the more galling. 

"The spring term is just weeks away, and yet providers are still waiting to hear whether early years entitlement funding will be extended - even though the report shows fewer children are returning to settings than expected and one in three providers fears their setting will close. 

"As an interim step, Government must act immediately to extend early entitlement funding based on pre-pandemic places into the spring, and then look again at the overall level of sector funding, to prevent otherwise inevitable closures now and in the longer term. 

аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± rightly acknowledges the critical role providers will play in closing the gaps in learning and development resulting from coronavirus. It is vital that providers are properly supported as they continue to provide young children and their families with much needed stability in what remains a hugely challenging period. "