Nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders in England will be unable to provide enough early years places to match the increased demand caused by the upcoming expansion of the early entitlement offer, according to research by the Early Years Alliance.
An Alliance survey of 803 providers found that a significant proportion of them may choose to continue delivering places for one- and two-year-olds, but charge for them privately, rather than delivering them via the Government’s early entitlement scheme.
Of the 96 per cent of respondents who currently offer places to non-funded two-year-olds, a third (33 per cent) are unsure as to whether they will deliver them via the Government’s early entitlement scheme once extended. One in five (20 per cent) plan to offer a limited number of places under the expanded entitlement offer and charge privately for the rest, the survey found.
Of the 54 per cent of providers who currently offer places to non-funded one-year-olds, two in five (40 per cent) are undecided as to whether they will deliver the new funded offer to eligible two-year-olds from working families. One in five (20 per cent) plan to offer a limited number of places via the Government’s early entitlement scheme and charge privately for the rest.
