withdrawal of early years funding

[merryberry]

DS2s private nursery has just mentioned in passing they expect to withdraw from the scheme that help fund 3 sessions a week when DS1. ?early years funding. Head says the amount is so little it now costs them to implement it. For me this means keeping ds2 at 2 sessions a week until he goes to school sept 2011, or trying to get nursery place at ds1s school, which do daft hours. Which won't let me do the back to work training I need in sept 2010.

Anyone else heard or had similar? Have there been big changes in the system then?

Yes, there were big changes to the system, and the effects (like providers choosing to opt out) were predicted at the time.

This Guardian article from April 2010 gives a reasonable account.

Have heard of this happening certainly.

Thanks for the link meditrina. So if he went for 16 hours a week, they may still operate the system? Or is that too simplistic?

Sorry, but probably not. If they've withdrawn from the scheme, they'll have withdrawn entirely.

I think it might be best to look for other nurseries (perhaps near the place where you expect to be doing you upcoming training?) or investigating childminders.

god this is so depressing.
ds2 adores them, and i value what they do beyond anything else i've seen around here.
will have to stay economically inactive an extra year i think.
it's not fair to screw the boy around, which chopping and changing childcare around the 2 semesters varying timetables will do. gah.

Our nursery are withdrawing in April. Luckily, he will only have a term left, so we will manage, but I was gutted when I heard.

i wonder how fast others will change. it's totaly done and dusted, and the onus seems to be on the nurseries to live or die by it. from what i could gather our poor head can't even get straight answer from camden council about the operatoin of the new scheme. they haven't worked out the details. it comesin in april and its not operationalised.

We had a letter from our preschool about it.
The gov are reducing the funding and even at the moment it doesn't cover the price of a session (those paying full price are already subbing free places).
They are also keeping the requirement that sessions be 'free' so no top up fees or requirement to book paid for sessions with free ones.
The choices left therefore are to leave the scheme entirely and only offer full price places to all or to put up the cost for those paying for sessions (2yr olds and full timers at ours) which might cause these parents to leave and the preschool to have no income.
Rock and a hard place.
Since its only one term till DD goes to school we will just have to wear the increase.

I can understand why they want sessions to be genuinely free and no top up fees for those on low income but if many very good preschools leave the scheme then its just disadvantaging those very same kids in the end as they won't have access to the best places or maybe any places if all the providers in an area withdraw.

There was a lot of campaigning on those very points early last year, but it failed to persuade the then Government to alter the plan. I do not think there's much chance of securing a more generously provisioned scheme in the short term.

Thanks, I've been back reading this www.cypnow.co.uk/BigIssues/Details/77014/early-years-single-funding-formula/

and feeling pretty flat and blue about it all today. they are going to have to close i think.

ok, so 'up to councils' explains why camden plans are dogs dinner mess:

www.pre-school.org.uk/practitioners/faqs/nursery-education-funding/97/how-is-the-early-years-single-funding-formula-worked-out

It's such a pity - the roll out date was put back a year (should have rolled out in April 2010) to give more time for councils to prepare.

Do you still have a local campaign going; or one that could be revived?

There is a national online petition about this if anyone would like to add their comments:

www.freechildcare.org.uk/our-petition/

It is outrageous as the government are claiming this as offering more free childcare but the way it is implemented can't sustain this and is reliant on PVI nurseries making a loss.

Can't MUMSNET towers use their voice to bring some clout to this campaign??

Thank you so much, I signed the petition.