For every bit of good news for the early years sector at the moment, there seems to be bad news as well. So while the Government's plan to give free childcare places to 250,000 two-year-olds looks to be a step forward (if, as Julian Grenier points out, opposite, high-quality provision is available), at the same time, 340,000 working families could be hit by the removal of tax relief from childcare vouchers to pay for it (see News, page 5).
This will be a further financial blow to those families in the 'middle', for many of whom there is a small distance between being able to afford childcare and not. There has been huge encouragement for employers and voucher companies to expand this form of help for childcare costs - businesses have been set up, significant numbers of staff have been employed, and the industry is just setting up a code of practice. If tax relief and National Insurance contribution exemptions are scrapped, there will be no point to having vouchers at all, with potentially disastrous consequences for the companies involved.
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
