Government responds to Affordable Childcare Committee report
The government has finally responded to a report by the House of Lords Affordable Childcare Committee, nearly a year after it was published.
The report, published by the committee following a five-month long evidence gathering exercise, described the 鈥渦neven allocation of funding鈥 for free early education places in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector as a 鈥渓egitimate cause for concern鈥. It recommended that the government review 鈥渉ow local authorities discharge their duties in respect of funding free early education places in the PVI sector鈥.
In its response, the government stressed that it is 鈥渃ommitted to introducing a fairer and more transparent way of distributing funding for the entitlements through a new national funding formula for early years鈥 that will 鈥渟ee more funding passed on to providers at the front-line鈥 adding that it will do so in the new year.
It added that the recently announced increased in funding rates (from 拢5.09 to 拢5.39 for the two-year-old entitlement; and from 拢4.56 to 拢4.88 (including EYPP)) for the three- and four-year-old entitlement will 鈥渆nable providers to deliver high-quality places in line with statutory requirements alongside the introduction of the new National Living Wage鈥.