Stopping nurseries adding additional charges to free childcare hours could have “potentially fatal risks,” childcare workers have warned.
From April 1, nurseries will no longer be able to add mandatory additional charges to free childcare hours. But nurseries say that these charges are essential in making up the difference in the government funding for the free hours and the cost of providing care for children with additional needs.
While it means that parents will no longer have to pay a cost to access their free childcare entitlement, the childcare sector in Bath and North East Somerset has warned that it will now face financial constraints that hurt the quality and safety of their services.
Charlotte Lucas, founder of Free Rangers Forest School in Midsomer Norton, spoke for a large group of nurseries and childminders who attended Bath and North East Somerset Council’s full meeting on March 20.
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She told councillors: “Collectively, we serve well over 3,000 local families, and our unified voice reflects the widespread apprehension and potentially fatal risks we’re expected to shoulder within our sector with less than 15 days notice.
“The funding we receive for all ages of children does not meet our delivery costs so we have always worked in collaboration with the council to ensure we charge appropriate additional charges that act as another income stream to prop up the poor funding that is UK wide.”
Government funding for free childcare hours does not cover the cost of “consumables” like food and nappies at nurseries, which parents must pay for as additional charges. But nurseries have now been told these charges must be optional for parents, and cannot be made mandatory.
Ms Lucas warned this could force the nurseries to eliminate specialised services for children needing extra support. She said: “Financial constraints will compel nurseries to adopt a 1:5 staff-to-child ratio for toddlers, significantly reducing supervision. This compromises safety.”
Previously, Free Rangers had provided all lunches itself which Ms Lucas said enabled it to control the 14 top allergens and ensure children were safe.
But now, with providers unable to make buying meals mandatory, the nursery will be required to allow packed lunches — which could contain food unsafe for other children nearby. She also warned it would have an impact on children in the council’s care.
Ms Lucas told councillors: “We cannot control that and that could be fatal.
“Looked-after children, already facing challenges such as trauma and developmental delay, rely on stable, high-quality early years experiences. The reduction in support services due to financial limitations undermines their chances.”
The mandatory additional charges for a 9-5 day at the nursery had ranged from £3.62 for babies to £27.42 for 3-4 year olds.
The new rule against mandatory charges is in the council’s new provider agreement with early years childcare providers. It is not as the result of a council decision, but of a court ruling which has seen the new rule introduced nationwide.