Expansion of Tory childcare centers 'won't work' without help from nurseries 'striving to survive'
The government has pledged to provide 30 hours a week of free childcare for children under five by September 2025 - but MPs warned it wouldn't work without the help of nurseries who are 'trying to survive'
MPs have warned that the struggling childcare sector needs help to implement the government's plans (
Image: PA)
Injecting money into free childcare hours will not solve deep-rooted problems facing nurseries and parents, MEPs have warned.
The Commons Education Committee has said the Government's pledge to provide 30 hours of childcare per week for children under five by September 2025 will not work without help nurseries that "strive to survive".
Working parents of three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week under current rules, which will be extended from next year. But in a report published today, MPs warned that 'structural problems' of funding and staffing in the early years need to be addressed urgently to ensure families have access to quality childcare. /p>
It comes after a survey by the Local Government Association found that 88% of councils feared impending nursery closures would undermine capacity.
The Committee said expanding the offer 'should not come at the expense of quality' and sounded the alarm over plans to relax rules governing the number of children per child. staff member. MPs were 'deeply concerned' about proposals to relax the staff-to-child ratio from 1:4 to 1:5 in England from September, in line with Scotland and parts of Europe.
>
Picture:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)The report says ministers should scrap business rates and VAT to ease pressure on struggling incubators that have been hit by rising costs.
He warned that “special attention” should be paid to how funding is distributed – as “environments in deprived areas are already struggling more than those in more affluent areas…
The government has pledged to provide 30 hours a week of free childcare for children under five by September 2025 - but MPs warned it wouldn't work without the help of nurseries who are 'trying to survive'
MPs have warned that the struggling childcare sector needs help to implement the government's plans (
Image: PA)
Injecting money into free childcare hours will not solve deep-rooted problems facing nurseries and parents, MEPs have warned.
The Commons Education Committee has said the Government's pledge to provide 30 hours of childcare per week for children under five by September 2025 will not work without help nurseries that "strive to survive".
Working parents of three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week under current rules, which will be extended from next year. But in a report published today, MPs warned that 'structural problems' of funding and staffing in the early years need to be addressed urgently to ensure families have access to quality childcare. /p>
It comes after a survey by the Local Government Association found that 88% of councils feared impending nursery closures would undermine capacity.
The Committee said expanding the offer 'should not come at the expense of quality' and sounded the alarm over plans to relax rules governing the number of children per child. staff member. MPs were 'deeply concerned' about proposals to relax the staff-to-child ratio from 1:4 to 1:5 in England from September, in line with Scotland and parts of Europe.
>
Picture:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)The report says ministers should scrap business rates and VAT to ease pressure on struggling incubators that have been hit by rising costs.
He warned that “special attention” should be paid to how funding is distributed – as “environments in deprived areas are already struggling more than those in more affluent areas…
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
