Childcare funding could cause disadvantaged children to lose out on early education
With changes being proposed to the childcare funding there is fear that disadvantaged children will lose out on early education and where will they go to receive this early education?
Many disadvantaged children access their early education by attending a nursery school or by visiting a children centre. At present councils pay money to these providers to help close the attainment gap between all peers. However, the changes proposed to the childcare funding will mean the extra money given to nursery schools and children centres be given directly to childcare providers, and in particular areas, this will affect disadvantaged families.
This proposed funding change will cause uncertainty for nursery schools and children’s centres, as they rely on extra funding to provide the services they offer.
For the private sector this will mean that funding is directly given to them, but where does it leave the other providers and more importantly where will the children go?
In many areas of the country, this will mean that there will be limited availability for childcare, causing problems for disadvantaged families when searching for local childcare. Many providers are set to lose a huge amount of money. Some councils have met with other councils to discuss the demand for changes to be made.
According to The Department for Education (DfE), “No council’s funding rate can fall by more than 10 percent and that the “vast majority” of providers can expect a funding increase.
The increase in the free entitlement will come into effect from Septemeber 2017 rising from 15hrs a week to 30hrs a week; this will help working families with the cost of childcare. Disadvantaged families with still be entitled to access 15hrs a week free early education for two years olds.
An extra £55m of funding per year will be given to nursery school for the next two years. £300m per year will also be invested in raising the hourly rate for nurseries and other providers such as playgroups and childminders.
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