It is based on interviews with 122 local authority early years leads, many of whom raised concerns about out-of-school clubs, due to reduced demand from parents working from home and continued operational challenges reducing supply.
Many local authorities said they thought demand could be permanently lower due to higher levels of homeworking, more flexible working and shorter commuting times.
According to Covid and Childcare – the role of local authorities, pre-pandemic, there was already a shortage of places for school-age children. It says that this ‘part of the market has received less attention than early years provision over the last year, heightening concerns about childcare shortages.'
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