Nurseries can no longer afford to offer 30 hours’ free childcare for working parents after coronavirus slashed their capacity – as hundreds fear they will have to shut down
- Nurseries say local authorities are not paying enough to cover cost of scheme
- Parents in England of three and four-years-old are eligible for 30 hours free care
- Owners say they may opt out of scheme in a bid to save money going forward
Nurseries can no longer afford to offer 30 hours of free childcare for working parents as the coronavirus pandemic has slashed capacity, leaving hundreds fearing they will have to close forever.
Parents of children aged either three or four, save hundreds of pounds each month thanks to a government scheme that provides up the free hours during term time.
The scheme – which applies in England, helps bring business to nurseries, but with social distancing measures lowering capacity, early learning centres now fear they will be missing out on much-needed cash, according to The Times.
Nurseries are considering removing the 30 hours of free support available for working parents
It claims that the hourly rate which local authorities are prepared to reimburse them from autumn is below their usual costs for parents willing to pay.
The nurseries will still have to provide 15 hours a week of free care, but they can charge more for extra hours.
Andrew Howarth is director of Paintpots, which runs three nurseries in Manchester and Cheshire.
Conservative MP Vicky Ford says the government is working hard to ‘provide security to nurseries’
He told The Times: ‘It has become ever more difficult to operate the system and the increasing funding rate year on year hasn’t gone up with the minimum wage or our rent or inflation. We have been looking at what happens if we opt out.’
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said he was not surprised to see nurseries withdrawing the offer of 30 free hours, in light of the pandemic and low funding rates.
Children and families minister Vicky Ford said: ‘We want to provide security to nurseries.
‘That is why we’re funding childcare at the level we would have funded before coronavirus until the end of the year — regardless of whether fewer children are attending.’