Half of nurseries and childminders don't expect to survive until next summer - Tulip Siddiq responds

“The Government has now confirmed what we’ve known for some time – the childcare sector is on the brink of collapse.

“Our economy will not be able to recover from Covid-19 if families can’t get childcare, so targeted support for the early years sector is urgently required to prevent a wave of nursery and childminder closures.

“Working families, young children and the brilliant early years workers who support them must not pay the price for this Government’s incompetence.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• The Department for Education has today published a new research report, Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers and COVID-19, which finds that only 45% of nurseries and pre-schools and 55% of childminders open at the time of the survey in July this year predicted that they would be able to remain financial sustainable for a year or longer (page 34): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929329/SCEYP_COVID-19_main_report.pdf