Alliance warns expansion is 'unworkable' as applications date for second phase is confirmed
The government has confirmed that parent applications for the second phase of the early entitlement expansion will open on 12 May 2024.
From that date, eligible working parents of children from 9 months old will be able to register to access 15 early entitlement hours a week, ahead of the offer’s roll-out from September 2024.
However, the Early Years Alliance is warning that the fact that the sector’s severe staffing challenges, and underfunding remain unaddressed will likely make the expansion “unworkable”
Commenting, Neil Leitch CEO of the Alliance, said: “Today’s confirmation of when applications for the next phase of the entitlement opens may suggest that the policy is on track, yet the reality is likely to paint a very different picture.
“Even before the expansion was announced, the early years sector was struggling due to years of underfunding and the worst staffing crisis in decades. While the government may claim to be addressing these challenges, we at the Alliance remain entirely unconvinced, with our own research showing that even before the first phase of the offer begins in a matter of weeks, more than two thirds of settings are already full.
“The only way that this policy will come even close to being workable in practice is if these longstanding funding, capacity and staffing issues are properly addressed. Confirming when families will be able to apply for the next phase of the entitlement will be entirely pointless if early years settings don’t have the capacity and support to be able to deliver the places families need.”
Applications for the first phase of the entitlement - offering 15 hours for eligible parents of two-year-olds - opening in January, later that month the government implemented a workaround after parents faced issues when reconfirming their eligibility to access the entitlement.