02 February 2024 , 00:01
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Parents could miss out on free childcare at their preferred nursery or childminder due to a lack of availability, a minister admitted last night.
Children’s Minister David Johnston said the Government cannot "compel" providers to offer kids "free" hours in April when the first phase of its childcare expansion begins. Under the new plans, working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare from April.
Nurseries, pre-schools and childminders in England are being inundated with calls and emails from families who want to take up funded places. Mr Johnston said: "I'm very confident that across the country we will have the number of places we need this coming April for the first 15 hours for two-year-olds.
"That may not mean that every parent can have their first choice of nursery because every nursery has a limited capacity. And of course there may well be providers who say that for whatever reason they don't want to take children with the free hours that we're paying for. We can't compel them to do that."
The Department for Education (DfE) announced on Friday a £6.5million-backed national recruitment campaign after concerns were raised over staffing levels and capacity to meet the high demand for care. New recruits and returners into the early years sector will be offered £1,000 sign-on bonuses in 20 local authorities in a new trial from April. The “Do Something Big” campaign will look to boost recruitment across the sector by offering on-the-job training and flexible hours.
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But Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said the campaign was “long overdue”. “Given that we are now less than two months away from the first phase of early entitlement expansion, we’re clear that any suggestion that this campaign alone will be enough to drive up educator numbers in time to meet rising demand is ludicrous, and demonstrates a complete lack of understanding both of the sheer scale of the staffing crisis facing the sector,” he said.
“What’s more, while a £1,000 cash incentive may encourage more people to join the early years in the short term, it does little – if anything at all - to retain both new and existing staff in the long-term.”
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "This is a startling reminder that the Conservatives have offered a childcare pledge without a plan. Childcare staff are leaving in their droves, leading to nursery closures right across the country. Cheap bungs to new staff when existing workers are turning their back on this key industry will not magic up new places for parents."
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: "From April, hundreds of thousands of parents of two year olds will get 15 funded hours. This is good for families and good for the wider economy - ultimately putting more money in parents' pockets at the end of the month.
"The fantastic nurseries, childminders and professionals across the childcare sector are central to the success of this rollout and our new recruitment campaign will support them in continuing to deliver the flexible and high-quality childcare parents need."