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Commenting on the news that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders will provisionally be able to open to children of all ages as of 1 June, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:

"We welcome further clarity on the government's plans to potentially reopen childcare settings in England, which will allow providers to plan and prepare to welcome families back into their settings where they are able to.

"That said, it's clear that any proposals to do so must ensure that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders feel able to keep themselves and the families they care for safe. As such, if providers are to potentially open their doors from 1 June, they must be supported to do so as safely as possible - especially given the ages of the children they care for - while also retaining the freedom to use their professional judgement on how their individual setting can best operate in practice. 

"With many parents still wary about the prospect of their children return to childcare, it's very likely that many nurseries, pre-schools and childminders will see a significant fall in the demand for places, and in turn income, at least in the short term. It's vital, therefore, that the government also commits to providing whatever financial support is needed to ensure early years providers can remain viable during this period.

"With one in four childcare providers fearing closure in the next year, how the government handles the next few weeks and months will be absolutely critical to determining whether or not the sector is able to survive in the long term."

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