Please please please don't start harassing your childcare provider about this funding change today

Anything this significant will require legislation, the earliest will be from April, more likely September as it runs school years. Should be announced any minute now

It was unrealistic of parents to think we will have all the details before the budget is even announced. No one is asking people to wait weeks but perhaps a few days would help. Do you really think settings are going to get all the information in a matter of hours? Of course not!

Maybe they are desperate. My kids are all grown up but when I look at the cost of everything I don't know how some families are managing. I do understand it must be annoying but I guess if you are desperate you aren't thinking about that.

I don't think it is about jumping the gun or "being too thick to understand as one friendly MN nicely put it below. Those who are interested are relatively new mothers to at least one child and are wanting help so they can get back to work maybe earlier than planned baring in mind the current economic situation. Not many parents are rushing to leave their child in daycare because they love the idea. They are looking to plan.

Other announcement that have gone out in the past the energy companies update their website even to say further information will
Follow. That's all it takes as mentioned by pp.

I think child care providers on this thread are the ones being unrealistic baring in mind the current situation to think the average person seriously think how they can go back to work will just sit and wait on the local nursery down the road to inform them as and when. How will the nurseries know the demand in their area
If parents don't put their hands up. So working families with very young children shouldn't react to an announcement like this, they are only looking to plan, we all know about waiting lists and I doubt if this will be any different. Not all
Providers will be ready to start at the same time so parents ask, consider and look elsewhere.

Realistically, the proposed changes aren't going to happen quickly. Very few nurseries will have capacity to instantly increase their intake, they'll need to employ more staff, enlarge their premises, etc., and to do that, they need money upfront, whereas the Govt will almost certainly pay for the extra places in arrears.

So, the practical reality is that it will be several months before any significant changes come into reality.

I think the trouble is that parents think there will be a rush of people looking for childcare so if they don't get in quick with their provider they may not have a space 🤷🏻‍♀️ agree that it will be months if not a year before anything is put in place.

Some things in the budget does kick in quickly. Others from next January. They need to make it very clear when they announce.

I agree, leave them alone to let the dust settle and give them chance to review and understand the changes.

I'm an accountant and we get deluged every Budget day, and every time there's a proposed tax change. Last Autumn with the PM and Chancellor changes, it was relentless. The thing is that the "devil is in the detail" which often doesn't become apparent till days or even weeks, sometimes months after the announcement, and there's often clarifications needed as to the detail, and sometimes changes where the original announcement contained mistakes.

People need to chill out and give the providers a chance to read the small print, engage with their trade/professional bodies for clarifications, etc.

Honestly I hate to agree but I think more than being absolutely skint, most parents who immediately contact their nursery wanting to know how it is going to work and what they now need to pay are just not that bright or aware of how the world works, to be able to understand that policies have a lag time to implement and that systems are more complex than just immediately paying less the second it comes out in the press 🤦🏼‍♀️

I think some people see any ‘authority figure’ such as a nursery manager as having all the answers and feel entitled to their immediate attention and detailed instructions as to how to adult. It must be exhausting to have to patiently respond to it all the time!

They are jumping the gun - regardless of what is being offered by government, childcare providers may decide not to offer it to their clients.

Are people really so thick that they would do this? It clearly takes 6-12 months to set something like this up.

I didn't think The Guardian was the paper the Tories leaked to!

Unless the government is planning full funding I think that it will just force the closure of many childcare providers as they often make a loss on funded hours. Many won't be able to keep going if the funding isn't substantially higher than the £4-5 per hour that they get for the "free" 15/30 funded hours

@Trader22 I think your post is a little bit harsh. I don't think parents emailing nurseries at the moment is appropriate. Nurseries don't have all the answers it hasn't even been announced yet and chances are they're panicking a bit themselves. The funding doesn't cover costs and some have already drowned and some are only keeping themselves afloat by raising costs on the non funded hours. If almost everyone will be entitled to funding then chances are some providers won't survive. Demand will be going up and places will be going down. It's quite scary for an industry already in crisis!

@Trader22
Agree!

Nurseries could also put on Website today/ which is where prospective parents will look.,

I wonder how it will affect childminders who don't offer the funded hours. Their bread and butter is from 1/2yos paying full rate as they then lose the 3yos as they move to a funded setting.

Offering the funded hours at the rate its currently paid is like suddenly giving everyone 50% off in some regions.

It wouldn't exactly be difficult for a nursery to draft an email along the lines of

'Dear Parents,

We are aware of the recent news regarding childcare funding for 1year old onwards. We have no further information at the moment but
we will communicate with parents as soon as we do etc etc

Parents in the mean time can find information about help with chilcare cost at xyz.gov.uk

Kind regards,
Xyz nursery'

You can put it on the app/or send a blanket email.

You're being unreasonable. Nurseries are a business. If they can send blanket mails for world book day and last minute snowy weather and could handle covid and all the changing requirements....I'm sure they can handle questions regarding this for a couple of days until there's more clarity.

Pretty sure our nursery won't be having a meltdown about parent questions - because I like to think they're intelligent and capable humans.

This is why nothing should be leaked from the government till they have the information ready to publish how its going to work.

I feel your pain. I worked in an accountancy firm when furlough was announced on TV. Within an hour I had 200+ emails from employers asking me how, when, how much... as if I had Boris on a private line 😭.

Likewise, childcare providers don't ask your LA.

We know nothing either and are learning this news at exactly the same time as you with no extra knowledge.

@Brokeintopieces this!

So many preschools in our area have closed because they cannot meet their costs.

This could be a really exciting announcement for both settings and parents but no one knows any details yet.