According to the Children’s Centre Census 2013, carried out by charity 4Children, for the first time over a million families are using their local children’s centre, including 320,000 disadvantaged families.
4Children said their data indicates that 1,090,000 families are using children's centres, up from 980,000 in the 2012 census, representing an 11 per cent increase over the past year.
Despite this, the charity estimates that around 60 centres could close over the next 12 months due to ‘acute financial pressures’ placed on local authorities.
The census, based on the responses of 501 children’s centre staff, found that two per cent expect their setting to be closed within a year’s time.
If extrapolated nationally, 4Children warns this could mean around 60 centre closures over the next year.
A further 66 per cent of respondents said that their centres are operating on a decreased budget compared to last year and 31 per cent expected to be providing fewer services in a year’s time.
Of those who said they would be reducing services, 58 per cent were planning to cut stay and play. Around a quarter of staff highlighted daycare as an area they planned to cut back on.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
