Labour analysis shows growing cost of childcare for parents
Analysis by Labour of official DfE figures has found that the average cost of an hour of childcare...
30 Hours Free Childcare
From September 2017, working parents of three- and four-year-olds have been eligible for 30 hours of free childcare. Follow the progress of the Government's flagship policy as it develops.
Chancellor urged to boost childcare funding by estimated shortfall
A gender equality think tank is calling on the Chancellor to boost childcare funding by £1.7bn – the...
PM's plans to reduce staff to child ratios in nurseries to cut childcare costs slammed as 'ludicrous'
Sector organisations and nurseries have roundly criticised Boris Johnson’s plans to change the rules...
Councils underspent £55m in early years funding which failed to reach providers
The majority of local authorities are not passing on money left over from Government funding to...
Sector accuses Government of misleading it over early years funding
Early years sector organisations have reacted with alarm to more details of funding for the next...
Early years funding for three-and four-years-olds to rise by 17p an hour
The hourly funding rate paid by the Government to local authorities for the three-and four-year-old...
Rethinking the system
The problems facing the early years sector are well known but seem far from being resolved – so...
Make 30 hours funded childcare universal to close the attainment gap
A new report renews the call for all children to be made eligible for the extended entitlement amid...
Early years Alliance files complaint over DfE refusal to release funding data
The Early Years Alliance has lodged a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office over the...
'Substantial’ drop in take-up of funded places fuels concern for early years sector
Newly released Government figures reveal the number of eligible two-year-olds registered for a...
Councils have millions in unspent early years funding, investigation reveals
Early years settings in England are missing out on more than £55m in Government funding for...
Local government watchdog warns nurseries over top-up fees for 'free entitlement'
A dad has won a landmark ruling over nursery top-up fees for funded places that could have wider...
Early years settings condemn Government for 'miniscule' funding rise
Early years settings will receive just a 6p an hour increase per child for three-and four-year-olds...
Coronavirus: Eligibility extended for 30 hours and Tax-Free Childcare for the second time
The Government has extended the eligibility for 30-hour childcare and Tax-Free Childcare to enable...
Nursery Management: Funding - Make or break
The sector is in crisis mode, with widespread underfunding, a workforce problem and rising costs....
Exclusive: Sector survey finds mixed views on 'free' childcare entitlements
Opinion is divided on the future of childcare entitlements, according to the results of a survey by...
Workforce - Staffing levels still in recovery
To what extent are recent policy changes to blame for the recruitment crisis? A new report from the...
Millions of pounds of unspent early years funding used to plug council deficits
More than £63.5 million of Government money to deliver three- and four-year-old places was unspent...
Scottish government to launch childcare ad campaign
The Scottish government is launching a nationwide public information campaign to encourage parents...
Parents in Wales benefiting from childcare offer but confusion over how scheme works
Families on low-incomes in Wales are using funded childcare more than their better-off peers,...
How will Tory win affect early years?
In the wake of the Conservatives’ landslide election victory, we look at what the future holds for...
Parents in deprived areas less likely to use funded childcare
Children living in the poorest areas are less likely to attend formal childcare settings and their...
Nurseries pay for ad in national newspaper to highlight funding crisis
More than 300 childcare providers have collectively raised thousands of pounds to pay for an advert...
Parents increasingly shunning 30 hours charges
Childcare providers are increasingly struggling to get parents to agree to pay a voluntary...
Guide to: charging for extras - Feel free?
There is still confusion among settings as to what charges can be levied given that the 30 hours...
Poor areas hit hardest by rising nursery closures
More nurseries are closing in the most deprived areas of the country than elsewhere, according to...
30 hours policy 'entrenches inequality' says social mobility watchdog
The Government should extend its 30 hours offer to those working eight hours per week and eventually...
Childcare providers in London less likely to offer the 30 hours
The majority of childcare providers are offering the 30 hours, but there are regional differences,...
Devastated owner to close setting due to 30 hours
A nursery provider has been forced to close one of her settings because a shortfall in funding for...
£60m awarded to grow 30-hour childcare in Wales
The Welsh government has earmarked £60m to build or refurbish more than 100 Childcare settings as...
30 hours childcare ‘is limiting choice’
There is increasing concern about the impact of the 30 hours on the availability of places for...
Warning signs over 30-hour impact on poorer twos
The introduction of 30-hour childcare has led to ‘a possible trade-off’ between provision for...
Call for high earners to be 'stripped' of the 30 hours and Tax-Free Childcare
A new report proposes lowering the upper eligibility threshold for the 30 hours and Tax-Free...
Providers in Wales find £4.50 rate for 30 hours commercially viable
Nearly nine in ten providers offering the 30 hours in Wales agree that the rate is viable, according...
Education Secretary questioned in Parliament over our 30 hours investigation
A leading MP has called for the Government to better evaluate the impact of its policies after our...
EXCLUSIVE In Focus: 30 hours: the hidden cost
What price are the most vulnerable children paying for the Government’s flagship childcare policy?...
'Don't let PVI nurseries and childminders fall by the wayside'
With the upcoming Budget and Spending Review, ministers must argue for more funding on behalf of the...
Foundations for change
At a recent Lobby Day in Parliament, early years providers voiced their concerns to those with the...
Providers invited to share experiences of 30 hours
The Pre-school Learning Alliance has launched a survey to gather early years providers’ experiences...
Welsh nurseries on board to deliver 30 hours
Survey reveals majority of nurseries in Wales will be participating in the 30 hours, in what the...
£60m to expand 30 hours provision in Wales
The Welsh Government has committed £60m to develop more early years provision ahead of the...
Childcare providers to lobby MPs on 30 hours
Over 100 nursery owners and practitioners are to gather in Parliament on 18 July to lobby MPs on the...
Zahawi dismisses funding concerns about 'successful' 30 hours
Children’s minister Nadhim Zahawi restates 30 hours' 'success story' to MPs in Parliament.
Foster carers eligible for 30 hours from next term
Foster carers will be able to access the 30 hours for the children in their care from September, the...
Rise in setting closures linked to 30 hours
A growing number of settings up and down the country are closing or expect to close due to financial...
Councils can learn lessons from financial services on late payments
The scourge of late payments is completely unnecessary, argues Keith Appleyard, nursery treasurer...
Council IT systems can’t cope with stretched hours
Providers are having to manipulate claims for the funded hours because local authorities’ systems...
‘Poor children excluded’ from nursery places
A new report suggests vulnerable children are being pushed out of settings because of the 30 hours.
Nursery owners’ desperate measures to survive
Childcare providers are relying on financial support from family and friends or additional income...
Better-off families gain £300 a month more than poor families from Government childcare policies
Families on low-incomes and lone- parent families benefit less than better-off families from the...
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