General Election candidates could save childcare funding crisis

Childcare funding is a major concern across the country for many different types of providers. Nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, day nurseries, schools are all struggling to deliver high quality care for ridiculously low funding levels. Even though there is not enough funding available, the current government are introducing in September the added 15 hours of childcare to families in what they call “30 hours free funding”.

It is not ‘free’ funding at all as although parents will not have to pay extra, the providers are going to have to make up for the shortfall by themselves. The government have put SO MANY rules into their “30 hours free funding” that it will make many settings unsustainable and many have been forced to close their doors already. Quite a few settings have opted out of even offering the added 15 hours.

We now see a general election looming in four weeks. It is now time for all political parties to put right this chaotic mess and start again. The National Day Nurseries Association (N.D.N.A.) have put forward an election manifesto of their own to put funding levels right.

The N.D.N.A. say:

“Our election manifesto includes five steps that the new government must take to ensure all parents of young children have a great choice of affordable, high-quality and flexible childcare.

Match childcare funding to real costs
Make sure this funding keeps pace with inflation and costs
Exempt childcare providers from business rates
Make VAT on childcare zero-rated
Introduce the Childcare Passport – pooling all funding streams into one easy account for parents”.

The Facebook page “Champagne Nurseries on Lemonade Funding” has been constantly following this campaign and the admins working very hard to make this problem heard. I would advise anybody to look at this page and read the struggles going on to overturn this crisis.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChampagneNurseries/
As a childcare provider myself (Pine Pixies Pre-School, Formby) I urge all parliamentary candidates to put this proposal forward to your party. Now is the time to act and finally see a green light to proper funding for childcare providers and an easier system for parents and settings.

NDNA’s Childcare Passport-make the right election move and give it the green light now!