Free nursery milk: your thoughts?

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

We've been asked by the Department of Health for your views on the future of the Nursery Milk Scheme in England, Scotland and Wales.

Currently, nursery milk is a universal benefit: a third of a pint of free milk is provided for all under-fives having at least two hours of childcare, and any childcare setting can claim the cost of milk provided to any child, regardless of the child's home circumstances.

The Department of Health says the cost of the scheme has doubled in four years to £53m - with some childcare providers apparently claiming back 92p per pint provided. (The average price for a pinta is 36p in England).

So, the Government is now opening a consultation, to "explore options for modernising and simplifying the operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme to improve efficiency and provide better value for money, while ensuring that all children under five attending a childcare setting for more than two hours a day continue to receive free milk".

In other words, while the Government remains committed to providing free nursery milk, it wants to look at the potential impact on some cost-cutting options.

You can read more about the consultation on the DOH's consultations website - and click through to add your comments.

You may also be interested to read this BBC report.

There is also a separate survey for childcare providers about the current scheme and the possible effect of potential changes. Please do fill it in, if you're a childcare provider (closes July 16th).

As ever, you're all also most welcome to add your thoughts to this thread, too.

Thanks everyone for all your comments. We've sent the DOH a link to this thread.

I think that the free milk should be kept for all.
I think that the focus should be on finding a different / cheaper way of getting it.
There must be some kind of bulk deal that councils / the govt can do.

The children in my class get offered the free milk every day. The majority of they don't want it. Those that do aren't really in need of it, they are well fed already, they just like milk!

That said, there are children in need of it and it would be extremely unfair to pick and choose who gets it and who doesn't, it should be there for all or none. So it should stay as free for all of them.

The worst thing if changing the system,other than stopping it I guess, would be to limit it to kids on benefits only IMO- this usually means free school meals and there is a needy class in the UK that earns a low income and is on far less than they need to get by but gets that penny in WTC that completely disentitles you to FSM's and associated benefits.

But Peachy- i don't agree that only people on benefits should get it as my Dh pays his taxes into the system so why shouldn't my children get it?
People on minium wage in my area are on about the same money as people on benefits as we have to pay rent and council tax which takes a huge chunk of our earnings away

The difference between free milk and free meals is that all children will be given the same meal regardless of where the money comes to pay for it, because they all need to have lunch.

Children don't actually need to have milk given to them at school, they can bring in their own snacks and water and they all already get given free fruit. If some children in a class got milk and some didn't it would be very hard to manage in the classroom. Some parents rightly wouldn't want to pay for their child to have milk at school so they just wouldn't, preferring to give them milk at home. But their children might want milk and then feel jealous of the ones that do get it. And the ones that do get it would be singled out if none of the other parents want to pay and there is none for the rest of the class.

Then what if a child who gets free milk doesn't want it but another child does? Do we just throw it away anyway so the child that wants it can't have it been though technically its available? What sort of message would that send to the children?

It has to be there for all the children or none of the children, it's the only fair way. That has nothing to do with who pays income tax and who doesn't, it's to do with what actually happens within a classroom when free milk is given out.

Pumpkin neither do I at all, heck even though ds3 can;t have it due to an alergy I really would like my taxes spent on this.

I was just mentioning to those who do want it to be only for thsoe on benefits that it's not actually an overly reliable way of picking up people who are struggling.