The survey of 803 providers by the Early Years Alliance (EYA) reveals that of the 96 per cent who currently offer non-funded two-year-old places, a third (33 per cent) are unsure whether they will deliver the Government’s expanded entitlement for the age group.
One in five (20 per cent) plan to offer a limited number of places under the expanded offer and charge privately for the rest.
Of the 54 per cent of providers who currently offer non-funded places for one-year-olds, two in five (40 per cent) are undecided as to whether they will deliver the new offer.
One in five (20 per cent) plan to offer a limited number of funded places and charge privately for the rest.
The findings also highlight that despite providers expecting to see increased demand for places when the expanded entitlement comes in, many do not have the capacity to meet this, along with parents’ expectations of when they will be able to take the hours.
The survey also reveals:
- 59 per cent of respondents feel they haven’t bene given enough time to prepare for the expansion of the funded hours.
- Of the providers that are planning on offering the extended funded two-year-old places, more than eight in ten expect there to be an increase in demand for places. Of these, three in five are not planning to increase the number of places they offer to meet demand.
- 77 per cent of providers planning to offer one-year-old places anticipate a rise in demand, but 72 per cent of these said they are not planning to increase their places.
- Providers highlighted a lack of space or sufficient staff as key reasons for them being able to offer more places.
- More than four in ten said their setting is already full with a waiting list.
'We don't have the capacity or resources to provide care for under-twos.'
One provider said, ‘We don't have the capacity or resources from a setting or staffing point to provide care for the under twos – as we can't provide a separate area for sleeping and we have difficulty recruiting staff.’
The EYA also ran a survey of parents, which received 547 responses and found that nine in ten (89 per cent) of eligible families are expecting to take-up the expanded offer.
A total of 61 per cent said they are optimistic that they will be able to access all the hours and sessions they want, on the days they need.
'The Government has blindly made a promise to families that many providers will not be able to deliver on'.
The EYA’s chief executive, Neil Leitch, urged the Government to ‘fix the huge problems that years of underfunding has created, otherwise risk the expanded entitlement becoming a complete and utter waste of time and money’
He explained, ‘As our survey clearly demonstrates, once again, the Government has blindly made a promise to families that many providers simply will not be able to deliver on.
‘As a result, many of the parents and carers who are pinning their hopes on benefitting from the new offers when they roll out next year are likely to be left sorely disappointed.
'If the Government had actually engaged with the sector before ploughing ahead with these plans, it would have known that there was no way that we would be able to provide the places that have been promised to families anywhere near the scale proposed in the time given.
‘Before we can even consider expanding the early entitlement offers, we need to fix the huge problems that years of underfunding has created. Otherwise this policy risks becoming a complete and utter waste of time and money.’