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NEWS RELEASE

22 March 2007

Pre-school Learning Alliance Response to the 2007 Budget

Steve Alexander, Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, the country’s largest voluntary sector provider of childcare said,

“The measures announced in the Chancellor’s budget give further evidence of the government’s on-going commitment to ensuring that children and families have the opportunity to access high quality affordable childcare and reap its long term benefits.

While we wholeheartedly applaud the increased funding announced for Sure Start, early years and childcare of at least £340 million by 2010-11 when compared to 2007-2008 with funding reaching over £1.6 billion by 2010-11. We caution though that the early years and childcare sector currently faces several pressing challenges, most specifically in the area of long-term sustainability.

There are particular concerns around sustainability for childcare providers supporting children and families in areas of high unemployment and low incomes where the role of childcare in alleviating child poverty is of crucial importance. Not only does it improve children’s educational opportunities, it also enables parents to enter training and employment.

As the largest voluntary sector provider of neighbourhood nurseries and nurseries within children’s centres, the Alliance is acutely aware of these concerns which are compounded by the ending of the government’s three year subsidy for neighbourhood nurseries at the end of next month.

We stress that successful outcomes for these children and families can only be achieved with long-term sustained supply-side funding. We therefore hope that the increased funding announced within the 07 budget accounts not only for the children’s centres needed to meet the 2010 target of 3,500, but also the funding gap caused by the end of the three year neighbourhood nursery subsidy.

As well as focusing funding support towards those with the greatest need, the Alliance is also urging government to ensure that childcare providers, particularly those in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sectors are able to deliver the lauded free entitlement in ways which support, rather than undermine, their individual business models. Furthermore, the free entitlement must reflect the varying costs associated with providing different types of childcare, sessional or full daycare, in different regions.

The Comprehensive Spending Review, now scheduled for the autumn, presents a real opportunity for aims of the Ten Year Strategy to be made a reality for families and children and we urge Gordon Brown to keep the focus on childcare and build on the progress made to date.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Kate Summerside
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7697 2502
Out of hours press calls: 07956 499621
E: Kate Summerside

Notes for Editors:

  1. The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.
  2. Through direct provision and its membership of 15,000 nurseries, sessional pre-schools and parent and toddler groups, the Alliance supports over 800,000 children and their families in England. The Alliance also develops and runs family learning programmes, offers information and advice, runs acclaimed training and accreditation programmes and campaigns to influence early years policy and practice.
  3. For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: www.pre-school.org.uk
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