Responding to the Early Years Alliance report which warns that the childcare sector is at risk of mass closures without urgent government intervention, Cllr Judith Blake, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:
“Childcare providers have been a vital part of the nation’s response to coronavirus and councils have been working closely with them to ensure that vulnerable children and critical workers have the childcare they need.
“This report reflects the concerns councils have repeatedly raised with government about the financial pressure facing the sector.
“While early years and childcare providers have been asked to step up in the same way that schools have in recent months, their costs have not been covered in the same way.
“These problems will not go away anytime soon. Limits on the number of children who can attend settings and reduced demand from parents mean that settings simply cannot raise the income they usually would. This is already putting businesses, jobs and childcare places at risk.
“Having enough childcare places will be essential to support families and get the economy moving again, while supporting children’s development and getting them ready for school. It is therefore vital that the Government urgently provides additional funding at a national level to protect childcare providers and see them through this crisis.”
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