30 hours for 1.5 year olds and over expected tomorroe

[QforCucumber]

As per the attached! This would help people so much

Absolutely, of course it’s for working parents, it’s not respite care.

For those worrying about no staff- our lovely Tory government are putting in the detail that for two year olds ratios between children and adults will change. Ffs. Awful.

They aren't going to be paying if you don't work do no extra places needed, just help for existing.

But the entire reason they're doing this is to get more parents into work. They're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts - they have a specific goal that they're very open about trying to achieve.

The intended result of the extension of free hours means that parents who previously didn't consider it worthwhile to go back to work due to the cost of childcare will now be motivated to work again. So there will be extra places needed.

@Justinsolentnoise

the deficit caused by the seriously underfunded existing 15/30 hour scheme should have been funded first.

on paper this is a fantastic initiative but many settings will need to close, pushing more parents out of work.

No. Increasing ratios will not work. It does not make things cheaper. Honestly I despair. You need to remember that Scotland are exempt from certain business rates - they can safely afford 1:5 ratio. You cannot compare us to Switzerland. What is the hourly rate there for a nursery nurse? Someone earning £10ph and suddenly having to look after an extra child will burn out.

this is not good news

@turnthebiglightoff

is this some sort of joke? How can you possibly ly think this is good news? Please. Think.

This is absolutely dreadful news. There is more of a chance your nursery will close because of this than not. Or your nursery will choose not to participate in the scheme (praying ours is one) or they will not close / will participate and
standards will slip.

I am by no means rolling in cash, but fuck me if if I didn’t think our government could be anymore stupid, here we are.

EY care (along with End of life/care in the community) are woefully underpaid for years responsibility of vulnerable people.
If there's a recruitment crisis and not enough staff then any prospective offer is almost meaningless if it can't be fulfilled.

I was a SAHM when my DC were little and we paid a top up for the 15 hours free for preschool. But some preschools in the area closed down about 8 years ago. I doubt things have improved since then.

It's an expansion of the existing scheme. So both parents working if there are two.

Wow, the government. Can mums not spend the first three years of their child's life 1-1 with them. I don't find this good at all, being pushed to send children as young as 1-2 into potential full time nursery so parent can work full time.
You never get the years back.

This will be the government trying to please us and to not complain about the cost of living crisis as theres an 'option' there.

Also I have worked in many many many nurseries so I know what it's like ..

You can still choose not to

Other women will find it helpful

Ok then

Maternity leave should be FULL pay then from government for a year not the insulting £153 per week

I'm the main earner and have twins. I'd loved to have spent longer than 20 weeks with them but maternity pay is insulting

@Nearlyamumoftwo not a joke. I need more money to give my children a better start in life. Where I live we are snowed under by preschools, with a large amount of stay at home mums. Schools and preschools have told me they need more children.

As long as funding is passed to the provisions, I am very, very happy with this news.

How the hell is this going to work? Are they going to magic enough staff to manage the huge influx?

Is this going to means tested so only working people use it?

Great idea but not realistic. You can't get a nursery place around here as it is.

Lots of moms don't want to sacrifice their careers. It's all well and good saying stay home for 3 years but then we'll never be equal in the workplace.

It’s disingenuous to suggest there is no help available for parents. At my nursery, nearly all the parents are accessing some kind of help towards fees. The ones on UC claim wraparound costs in addition to 15 or 30 hour funding, in some cases reducing full time fees to £100 per month or less.

Yes, it’s harder for parents of under 2’s, but it looks like that is about to change.

My response wasn’t patronising. You asked why nurseries are not making huge profits based on the daily fees they are charging, and I tried to explain about the turnover versus staffing requirements, high rents and business rates for buildings that have to be ten times larger than small shops (but bring in a comparable amount of money) and the requirement to pay 20% extra for everything when you are not allowed to charge VAT (like every other business in the country). That’s why the profits are marginal.

Some families need both parents to work to afford to live and maintaining their careers is the best way to do this.

Also by your logic, if you have two children then 3 years out of work would become 6, etc etc.

It better be means tested, if you work you get the free hours. If you don’t work, you don’t get it.

@Ppbbwwt anyone who looks down on you is an absolute knob. I think you guys are amazing!!! The work you guys do for the amount you get paid is beyond me. I’m anxious about what today’s announcement may mean to the already fragile childcare system in place.

@User8646382 asking me if I was kidding was patronising.
No one I know who pays for childcare gets help from UC. Not saying people don't but in my circle of friends none of us do. We all earn too much to get help from UC but are struggling. There seems to be a massive misconception amongst some people that if you don't claim UC you're okay. And it is absolute bullshit.
So back to my last question. You've insinuated £62 a day isn't enough. How much do you propose those of us that pay for our children's care should pay? £100 a day? £200 a day?

I agree! Maybe lower your criteria. I understand you’re outstanding but our preschool has employed quite a few mums whose kids have been at the preschool themselves and they’re brilliant. Getting the qualification whilst working.

Sorry that was for the nursery manager x

@Ppbbwwt

If a nursery currently needs £7 an hour to break even and the funding pays £4.50 they will be facing a bigger shortfall when they no longer get paid from the younger children either. Money is paid by the government to each LA ...this is the published rate on Gov.uk from that the LA decides how much to retain to run the scheme and how to spread it to cover things like Sen children so it's not what a settling is paid for any child.
Add to this increases in minimum wage food, rates, utilities etc that haven't hit yet it's not feasible.

I understand that not everyone is in receipt of UC. However, there is other help available - 15 and 30 hour funding, tax free childcare, etc.

How much is fair? I can’t answer that. All I know is what it costs to run a nursery. The amount charged has to meet those costs - pay for the building and the upkeep of it, the resources and the furniture (all of which cost 20% more because VAT cannot be charged to parents, nor claimed back), the utility and business rates and the staff (including their pensions, etc).

How much do you think all that costs?

They have already said they expect settings to up their ratios to get around the loss and to provide more spaces. That's the plan. They seem to forget about safety, staff shortages, the need to interact with children. My daughter left her job this year as she couldn't take the work load anymore....unpaid evenings on paperwork. Having to change 11 childrens nappies in under 20 minutes whilst dealing with children needing support on the toilet....and getting the children out of the garden to have a change....it was just a conveyor belt.