Childcare providers attending Nursery World’s Exchange event yesterday (23 March) said they have received an overwhelming number of phone calls from parents about the new ‘free’ hours and they’ve found it hard to manage their expectations.
A snap poll by Nursery World on Twitter reveals that 74 per cent of nurseries that took part have seen an increase in calls from parents asking about the new funded places since the Budget announcement. A total of 47 users voted.
Nearly 67 per cent of the 15 people that responded to a question asking if their admin workload had increased said that it had.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed last week that the 30 hours of ‘free’ childcare will be expanded to working parents of one-and two-year-olds, with the policy being ‘introduced in stages’, starting with 15 hours for two-year-olds next year.
The 30-hour offer will eventually start from the end of maternity or paternity leave.
Nursery World’s snap poll, which ran for 24-hours, also suggests that parents have been left feeling confused about the current ‘free’ entitlement offer since the ‘landmark’ childcare reforms announced in the Budget.
Asked if they thought parents now appear confused about the current offer, a total of 83 per cent of those in nurseries said yes. The question received 24 votes.
