This figure contrasts with the Government's drive towards extended hours from 8am to 6pm and suggests most parents do not want very young children in group daycare. Eighty-two per cent of children attending the 150 nurseries surveyed attend nursery part time, it found, usually in a half-day session.
The majority of children attending nursery were two to three years old (42 per cent). Nineteen per cent were aged one to two, and just 7 per cent were less than 12 months old.
The survey of 150 settings provides a snapshot of what it is like in the day nurseries that collectively care for 15,000 under-fives and employ more than 2,500 childcare practitioners.
NDNA said the report demonstrated how nurseries are working hard to meet the demands of children and families, and quality provision and staffing were the overriding factors that nurseries and parents believe are important.
Sandra Hutchinson, owner of Primley Park Children's Nurseries in Leeds, three day nurseries offering a combined total of 175 places, agreed there was more demand for part-time places. She said, 'You have to offer parents flexibility and quality. If parents work part time, it's good for the child. I think it's beneficial for a child to be in nursery three to four days a week.'
She said that retaining highly-qualified staff was an issue when faced with competition from local authority settings that could pay higher wages, but she hoped the Transformation Fund would help the private sector to address this.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said, 'We hope this report will go some way to addressing some of the negative publicity that has surrounded nurseries recently. However, we are very concerned the research reveals a continuation in worrying occupancy trends. Nursery owners are facing many financial and regulatory challenges, including demands for better wages, training and issues with nursery education funding. We fear that if these trends continue, parents will not face difficult choices about balancing work and family life, but real difficulty in finding high-quality childcare that suits their needs.'
The survey revealed low occupancy rates remain a major issue for the majority of nurseries. Last September, 63 per cent of respondents to the survey had an occupancy rate below the accepted level of viability.
NDNA said that most PVI providers would need an occupancy rate of around 90 per cent to achieve long-term sustainability but, worryingly, in January this year, 50 per cent had not achieved 80 per cent occupancy and 30 per cent were below 69 per cent full.
'Under such pressure, the challenge of reducing fees, stimulating investment and funding workforce development remains a complex test for private and voluntary providers,' the report said.
The survey also asked providers to give their Ofsted rating. It found that 69 per cent offered good quality care and that 4 per cent were rated 'outstanding' under the new inspection system introduced in April last year.
'Day nurseries: What type of service do you really provide?' is at www.ndna.org.ukends.
