麻花影视reacts to DfE early years provider survey on cost pressures and staffing challenges

The Early Years 麻花影视has issued a comment in response to a DfE's pulse survey of childcare and early years providers. The survey, which was carried out in November 2022 explored the impact of the cost-of-living crisis in addition to the staffing and income challenges nurseries, pre-schools and childminders faced. The survey's report can be read . 

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

鈥淭his report shows just how risky the government plans to expand the so-called 鈥榝ree childcare鈥 offers are. 

鈥淲hen nearly half of providers say their income is not covering costs, one in ten say imminent closure is likely and the vast majority are reporting staffing challenges, then it鈥檚 clear that the existing system simply isn鈥檛 working. 

鈥淲orse still, as the report highlights, despite providers鈥 very best efforts, continued cost pressures and an urgent need to reduce costs are now starting to impact the quality of education and care they are able to offer.  

鈥淲hile it鈥檚 true that providers have been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis, there鈥檚 no doubt that it is the years of government inaction that have created the current catastrophic situation.  

鈥淎s such, rather than piling even more pressure on the sector through ever-bigger promises of 鈥榝ree childcare鈥, the government needs to focus on fixing the problems that it itself has created through years of underfunding and neglect.鈥