The Office for Budget Responsibility has stated that the investment in the childcare and early education within this Spring Budget statement will have the largest impact on potential output. If so, we ask why is out of school wrap-around care tagged on to a much larger commitment to early years education? It is the first investment in the sector after more than a decade of Government inattention.
A family’s childcare needs don’t stop when a child starts school. One of the reasons that demand is currently outstripping supply is because wrap-around providers are closing in significant numbers due to exceptionally challenging working conditions. The risks wrap-around providers are expected to take would not be tolerated in any other industry; constant threat of schools taking over, insufficient support for parental fees, lack of support from any statutory service, and the list goes on.
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