Nurseries will be unable to meet the Government's free childcare plans if they do not receive funding in the Spring Budget, industry bosses have warned.
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) has called for a cash injection and an end to business rates for nurseries ahead of March 6.
Government measures have outlined that working parents of two-year-olds in England are to be able to access 15 hours of free childcare from April.
But an NDNA survey of 448 nursery owners found 54 per cent said they were unlikely to offer any additional places to two-year-olds or were still not sure if they could.
More than 55 per cent said they could not meet local demand for places, meaning eligible families may miss out on the offer.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA said: 'We have taken the temperature of the early years sector at this crucial time and found it needs a boost in the Budget to help them deliver on the Government's ambitious promises.
'A year ago when the Chancellor announced his expansion plans, the key aim was to bolster up the economy by supporting working parents.
'But a week before this year's Budget, we now know that the majority of early years settings cannot commit to offering additional two-year-old places.'
