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Commenting on the news that the government is not including early years providers in plans to spend £650m to help provide extra educational support to children who have fallen behind, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance said:

"Given that quality early years provision plays a pivotal role in children's long-term learning and development, it beggars belief that the early years sector has been excluded from this 'catch-up' package.

"Childcare settings across the country are working hard to provide the best possible support to those children who have missed several weeks of important early education. Why is it then, that once again, schools get much-needed financial support and early years providers don't?

"The fact that this comes on the back of months of inadequate support for the early years sector makes this decision all the more galling. With one in four childcare providers expecting to go out of business within the year, the government simply cannot keep ignoring the financial pressures facing the sector.

"For the vast majority of children, education starts long before they reach the school gates. It's time the government recognised this fact, and gave early years providers the respect and support that they deserve."

Editor notes 

• The Early Years 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 members 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 programmes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.

• The Alliance website is