The National Day Nurseries Association’s nursery business performance survey, in partnership with Nursery World and Pound Gates, warns that a growing gap in Government funding for free places for two, three and four year olds is pushing up the cost of childcare for parents.
The bi-annual report highlights ‘a worrying trend’ of ‘stagnating and decreasing funding levels’.
It urges the Government to ringfence the funding for free nursery education to ensure that the full amount local authorities receive reaches the frontline.
Nurseries report that the average rate of funding they receive for providing free places for two-year-olds is £4.89, below the average indicative rate set by the Government of £5.09 per child per hour.
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