'It is unclear how the Government expects early years settings to open at all'

On Monday afternoon, the Government suggested that they could return to work from this Wednesday. Later that same day, they were asked to prepare for a return on 1 June instead. Then on Tuesday, the Department for Education “clarified” that they could look after the children of one household from the following day.

Confused? Childminders certainly were, and it must have been quite a shock to have their partial return to work confirmed just the night before. This mess has left childminders worried about losing clients and terrified for their safety. They are by no means the only ones who have been left in the dark by the Government’s unclear, contradictory advice. This week’s guidance recognises that social distancing "may not be possible for very young children" – an understatement to say the least – yet it says that staff looking after them will not require any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Childcare workers are very worried about how they and their families will be safe if they aren't protected from the spread of Covid-19 in a setting where it’s impossible to stay two metres apart.  

Indeed, it is unclear how the Government expects early years settings to be open at all from 1 June when 56 per cent have already been forced to close. I have been contacted by so many nurseries who have been desperate to help the national effort by providing childcare to key workers and vulnerable children in this crisis. I pay tribute to the providers that have managed to stay open, yet the reality is that it has not been financially viable for many to offer this pivotal service with the loss of fees. Seventy-five per cent of providers feel that there has not been enough support from the Government in this crisis, and we know that the furlough funding U-turn in particular has crippled many childcare businesses.

Furloughed workers, job losses, working from home and fear of Covid-19 all mean that there will be far less demand for childcare when early years settings do reopen. After a decade of underfunding, childcare providers were far from financially secure before this crisis began. It will simply not be possible to sustain many of these businesses with revenues so substantially reduced, unless the Government steps in with a proper package of support for the early years sector.

In addition, there will be increased costs associated with reopening safely, including the deep cleaning of nurseries and the provision of PPE to workers who need it. Schools can claim back money for these costs, but childcare providers can’t. It is yet another example of the Government asking early years providers to take on the responsibilities of schools but the liabilities of businesses, with nothing like the same level of financial support.

It is high time that the Government recognised the essential role that childcare and early education plays in our society. If ministers don’t step in to save early years providers soon, we could emerge from this crisis having lost much of the infrastructure that is vital in supporting working families and educating our young children.