�㽶��Ƶapp

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:

“We have long argued that the current lack of government support for the childcare sector is likely to hugely damage the country’s chances of economic recovery. 

“The early years sector was already struggling long before the outbreak of coronavirus, and with a loss of over 14,000 providers since 2015, it is simply astounding that the government has not acted sooner on this vital issue.

“The fact is that without urgent government support, the joint impact of years of underfunding and the coronavirus pandemic means that we risk losing thousands more nurseries, pre-schools and childminders in the coming months - and there is no doubt that this will have a significant impact on the ability of parents to access quality childcare, and of mothers in particular to return to work. 

"If the government is serious about supporting families, protecting jobs and safeguarding the economy, there is no better action it could take than investing to ensure that the early years sector can remain sustainable not only in the short-term, but for generations to come.” 

Editor notes 

• The Early Years Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England. A registered educational charity, it also provides high-quality affordable childcare and education to support children and families in areas of deprivation throughout the country.

• The Alliance represents 14,000 members and supports them to deliver care and learning to more than 800,000 families every year. We deliver family learning projects, offer information and advice, produce specialist publications, run acclaimed training programmes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.

• The Alliance website is