Protest against government underfunding
Added: (Tue Feb 14 2023)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A sector bullied and intimadated by government and local authorities is fighting back with a protest against inadequate funding, price-fixing and cost-fixing. The hourly rate paid for children in early years settings is now 100% below the Department for Education's recommended rate, yet the government is demanding more 'free childcare'.
One of the organisers of the protest, Claire Kenyon says "The early years sector have warned and warned the government about fixing the price of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECEC), and calling it ‘childcare’. While caring for children is part of what the EY sector does, it does so as part of an educational framework, where knowledge of child development, safeguarding, attachment and health are at the core. The government barely pays us for babysitting. Its misogynistic understanding of working with children as ‘women’s work’ or some kind of domestic task has led to appalling abuse of the sector. We were used as political pawns in the last election and, as predicted, it has ended in disaster. The government simply does not, and CANNOT afford to pay the sector the amount needed to meet its own rules and regulations, let alone any kind of proper, high quality EY experience for the children. We are currently at around 100% underfunded per hour, and other ages are having to make up the cost. Our staff are not paid anywhere near the amount that they should be paid, and many of the good ones are leaving. If the government’s answer to this is to fix the price of ECEC for all ages, then they really don’t understand the issue, and have listened to the wrong voices. The sector will either be non-existent, or will simply refuse to accept the government’s terms. There are many settings already discussing limited or refusing government-funded places. This issue will now be part of the protest happening on 18th March at Downing Street at 1pm." To add to the confusion, the rules around operating are different in England to Wales and Scotland, where business rates have been exempt for nurseries for many years, yet still paid by English settings. The sector is also unable to claim back any VAT on purchases due to the VAT-exemption on settings. Mrs Kenyon adds "These inequalities mean that our settings are more expensive to run than most other businesses in the UK, yet we get vilified for being too expensive. The narrative needs to change from UK nurseries being the most expensive in Europe, to UK nurseries being the most underfunded in Europe".