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The number of early years places is not increasing in line with the growth in the child population, аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± has warned in this year's annual report.

 

The report highlights that while there are now more than 240,000 children aged four years or under in England compared to 2009, the number of places has fallen by 50,000 over the same period. It states: "The government, local authorities and providers must plan further to ensure that enough funded places are available. They need to make sure the children of parents who cannot afford to supplement the funding do not miss out."

 

Commenting on the report, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the  Alliance, said: "We share аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½±'s concerns about the lack of capacity in the early years sector. At a time when the need for childcare places is at is highest, we continue to see providers - and particularly childminders - exit the sector. If this continues, it is likely that many families across the country will find it increasingly difficult to find and secure childcare places. With so many providers warning that they will not be able to remain sustainable unless funding levels improve, we hope this acts as a stark warning to government. Neither they, providers nor parents can afford for this trend to continue.

 

Quality in the sector is rising, however, with 91% of early years providers now rated 'good' or 'outstanding'. What's more, the gap between the most and least deprived areas in England in terms of the proportion of 'good' and 'outstanding' providers has declined steeply, particularly for group settings.However, he welcomed the report finding that the gap between the quality of PVI provision in the most and least disadvantaged areas of the country is narrowing.

 

"For far too long, there has been a false yet persistent perception of PVI providers as being of generally 'low quality', despite the fact that 91% of such providers ​are now rated as 'good' or better," said Neil. "As such, at a time when there has been much focus on ensuring the financial stability of the 400 maintained nursery schools in England, this report serves as an important reminder of the 50,000 PVI providers currently providing 'good' or 'outstanding' early years education and care to thousands of children across the country."