Hello
Understandably parents have had a few urgent questions about nursery/childcare setting closures, and in particular what they can do if they or their partner have suddenly lost their jobs or had their income reduced.
Our friends at the Early Years Alliance - an educational charity representing 14,000 early years membership organisations - has kindly offered to answer some of the questions we saw being asked most frequently.
Obviously they're under a lot of pressure at the moment, with many early years organisations facing huge financial challenges, so this isn't an ongoing Q&A - but let us know if you have any really burning further questions and we will see if we can get answers.
NOTE FROM MNHQ: this information is dated March 20 2020. We will do our best to keep it updated, but please let us know if you think we need to look again at any of the information here.
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If nurseries close down because of Coronavirus/Covid19, do I have to pay full fees?
This will depend on the terms and conditions as set out in a parent's individual contract with their childcare provider. We would advise parents to check their contracts if they have them to hand, or to discuss with their provider directly. It's important to remember that when these contracts were drafted, a global pandemic that resulted in mass childcare closures, potentially for several weeks, would have been unthinkable so it may well be that providers are willing to offer some flexibility on the existing terms of their contracts. That said, we would stress that providers are facing incredible financial challenges themselves, and many will still be required to pay staff wages and rent during times of closure. The government has said that it is "asking providers to be reasonable and balanced in their dealings with parents".
If our household income is badly affected by Coronavirus and we're having difficulty paying fees, what should we do?
We know that these are worrying times for parents, particularly those worried that they will face difficulties paying fees as a result of the impact of Coronavirus. In such circumstances, we would recommend speaking to your provider in the first instance and making them aware of your concerns. Again, it may be that some providers are able to offer some levels of flexibility, though of course, many are facing significant financial struggles themselves. The Early Years Alliance is actively lobbying government to provide financial support for both families and providers during the coronavirus outbreak.
Do all nurseries have to close, other than to children of key workers?
While the government doesn't currently have the legal power to close childcare providers at the moment, the Coronavirus Bill which is going through Parliament will give it the ability to do so.
The Department for Education has been clear that all providers are expected to close to all but vulnerable children and children of key workers as of Monday 23 March. This applies to all registered childcare providers in England, regardless of whether or not they receive government funding. It is important to note that this does include childminders as well as nurseries and pre-schools.
It's worth remembering that the reason for these partial closures is to keep local communities as safe as possible during the coronavirus outbreak and to minimise the spread of the virus. For this reason, we would expect that providers will follow government guidance on this. Parent classed as key workers have also been asked by government to only use childcare if they are unable to look after their children at home.
Do you think nursery owners will act on a case-by-case basis or are they likely to act together as a sector on this?
The majority of the childcare sector in England is made up of single-site, small providers and childminders, and so the likelihood is that providers will act on an individual basis, and make decisions based on what is most sensible and sustainable for their respective businesses.
Are nurseries insured for events like this?
This will depend on the insurance cover your nursery, pre-school or childminder has. However, many childcare providers are not covered for closure due to Coronavirus, and in particular, closure due to a government order (rather than an outbreak at the setting itself).