The Early Years Alliance has warned that while the Government’s offer of an extended childcare entitlement ‘may sound good in theory, the reality is likely to be very different’.
Working parents of eligible two-year-olds can already apply for 15 hours a week of funded care, due to be available from April, but many providers are yet to find out what funding rates they will receive for the new offer, the alliance said.
The scheme, announced by chancellor Jeremy Hunt in last year’s Spring Budget, is due to be extended to working parents of children from nine months old this September, and then upped to 30 hours a week in September 2025.
But with the early years sector facing ‘its worst recruitment and retention crisis in recent memory’, many settings will not have the staff to deliver the additional places, Early Years Alliance CEO Neil Leitch said.
Mr Leitch added: ‘If this policy is to have any hope of succeeding, the Government must tackle the huge challenges facing the sector as a matter of urgency.
‘That means a clear and comprehensive plan to tackle staffing shortages and, crucially, adequate funding for the sector, both now and in the future.
‘Anything less and, despite the Government's promises, parents across the country are likely to be left sorely disappointed.’
