Early education and care for children aged from birth to five in England is at a critical point.
On one hand, the cost of care and education to parents at a time of high price rises is a key issue. In 2022, the average annual cost of a part-time nursery place for a child under two in Great Britain is £7,210.
At the same time, the government has been accused of “knowingly underfunding” early years settings, many of which are struggling to stay afloat. The sector is also experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining staff. Early years educators may well be leaving for better paid retail work.
The government’s most recent early years workforce strategy for England was published in 2017. It claimed it represented “the government’s commitment to supporting the early years sector to thrive”, but the early years workforce has not seen sustained investment. There was a notable lack of reference to any funding for early years care and education in the recent autumn statement.
