Shortage of nursery places

[Alice1964]

Any one finding there is a shortage of nursery places? Ringing around in Leicester this week looking for a place for a 3year old and there are waiting lists for places starting in September!

We were planning ahead for our 6 month old to go to nursery when he’s 2. Turns out many nurseries near us have an 18 month waiting list!! Luckily we checked when we did and got him on the list!

Need to be on the list before they are born here, for private nurseries. If you want to start when they're 3yrs old you have no chance at private but would probably get a space in a council nursery but you would need to have an application in the term before they turn 3. So for a Sept start you'd need to apply at Easter.

Surely you just plan ahead like everyone else? It’s no surprise that people need to work when their DC get to that age. I put my DC in the waiting list for nursery before they were born to make sure I had a space when I needed it.

I had no idea people were putting kids on the waiting list before they were born! When I had my daughter 5 years ago 6 months was plenty of notice, got her into an outstanding nursery down the road. Now looking for my son and everything is full til 2025!

When the two year old funding is in place it's predicted it will be even harder for parents to find spaces because the two year olds who may have been doing the one or two days parents could afford will now be able to get 15/30 hours and so do more days, reducing spaces for the days that would have been free before.

The whole system needs to be given a proper overhaul. Proper funding. Proper support for those who work in the industry and proper support for parents.

Nurseries are classed as education but can't get the VAT reduction that schools can get, don't get proper funding for SEND children, staff are paid peanuts compared to teachers for doing essentially the same job. Many nurseries are in deficit due to the increase costs of wages, cost of living ie utilities, cost of cleaning materials since covid etc while trying to manage on the meagre amount of funding the government gives. Some of that funding is also reduced by local councils who take some off for themselves.

Yup
Everything @Tumbleweed101 has said.

And UC are putting pressure on parents to find work and childcare that fits their hours. Places with childminders are also few and far between here in Leicester

Thing with starting at 3 is many kids start at a nursery at 2, 1 or even younger. they take up the spaces and just move up meaning there's less likely to be spaces for kids starting at 3.

Yep everything @Tumbleweed101 has said.

I'm pregnant with #3 (20 weeks) and have been far too late registering them a place for nursery. Earliest available for what I need (3 days a week) is September 2025!

Why should my taxes go towards other parents deciding not to work till their child is in full time education? If people can fund staying at home till the child goes to school then by all means do but don’t then complain there are no nursery spaces because they haven’t planned in advance

Everyone is angry on here. I understood you to mean full time education as 4-5. Not 18.