新澳门六合彩官网开奖

By Rachel Lawler

The number of available childcare places has fallen in areas of disadvantage, according to Ceeda鈥檚 annual report 鈥� .

 

The found that the average number of available childcare places in areas of disadvantage has fallen from 33 per 100 children in 2016 to just 25 in 2018.

 

Meanwhile, the wealthiest areas have seen the average number of places available per 100 children rise from 32 in 2016 to 43 in 2018.

 

The quality of childcare available also differs in areas of disadvantage. The report reveals that 7% of nurseries and pre-schools in the most deprived areas are rated as 鈥榬equires improvement鈥�, compared to 4% in the least deprived areas.

 

Ceeda used data from 新澳门六合彩官网开奖鈥檚 Early Years Register as the basis for its analysis, alongside provider surveys.

 

Surveyed providers told Ceeda that the average hourly pay for a childcare practitioner was just 2p more than the average wage for bar staff or cleaners at 拢8.47.

 

84% of providers who said they were recruiting also reported struggling to find new staff to fill the vacancies.

 

Jo Verrill, managing director at Ceeda, said: 鈥淒eclining sector capacity in areas of disadvantage is a major cause for concern, and it is set to get worse as provider costs increase and funding rates stand still.

 

鈥溞掳拿帕喜使偻� operating in deprived areas are lease able to offset losses on funded hours with private fee income, and it is children who stand to gain the most from high quality early education that are at risk of losing out.鈥�

 

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: 鈥淗ow can the government talk about the importance of social mobility when chronic childcare underfunding has meant that those families with the greatest need, and those children who would benefit most from high-quality provision, are the ones who face the most difficulties accessing places? If ministers are genuinely serious about 鈥榗losing the gap鈥� and improving the life chances of the most vulnerable children, it simply must invest what鈥檚 needed to support a quality, accessible and sustainable childcare system in this country.鈥�