The coalition Government has confirmed that the extension of the free entitlement for threeand four-year-olds to 15 hours a week will go ahead in September. It was interesting to see that children's minister Sarah Teather referred to this in her column last week only as 'free childcare', rather than nursery education!
However, there is as yet no word on the vexed issue of top-up fees. There is disagreement over the principle of private and voluntary sector nurseries charging parents extra fees on top of the hourly rate that they receive for the free entitlement, which many say does not cover their costs.
Before the election, the Conservatives said that they would consider suspending the Code of Practice and allowing top-up fees at least on a temporary basis while the code and the Early Years Single Funding Formula were reviewed. The LibDems, however, have been steadfast in their opposition to top-up fees, arguing that they would lead to a two-tier system.
As the Government's silence over this continues, the voices of nursery owners are starting to be raised. One, Patricia Banks, is calling on David Cameron to come good on the assurances his office gave her about free entitlement funding before the election (see News, page 4).
Meanwhile, a survey released by the Pre-School Learning Alliance found that one in ten of the settings who responded believed they would have to close if they received less money under the EYSFF (see News, page 5).
There is an air of quiet desperation among early years settings who fear for their future sustainability if no action is forthcoming. A great deal is resting on the coalition's response.
