Commenting on new statistics published by the
Department for Education, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the
Early Years Alliance, said:
"These sobering figures clearly show the scale of the
challenge facing nurseries, pre-schools and childminders as a
result of the coronavirus outbreak.
"While many childcare providers have been working hard to
prepare to welcome children back into safe and positive learning
environments, the demand for places is nowhere near what it would
have been in normal circumstances.
"This means that settings across the country, which were
often already struggling financially as the result of years of
government underfunding, are facing a sharp drop in income, with
many unsure if they will be able to remain sustainable in the
long term.
"We have long warned of the impact that the expected fall
in parental demand for places during this pandemic would have on
the sector. Despite this, the government has failed to commit to
any form of transitional funding to help support early years
providers through this incredibly difficult period, or to offer
settings any support with the additional costs of operating
safely during this crisis - such as cleaning and PPE - as it has
done for schools.
"Ministers have made clear their desire to return to some
kind of normality as soon as possible, but without a functioning,
sustainable childcare sector, this simply won't be
possible."
