Ï㽶ÊÓƵapp

Commenting on the announcement that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will close on 31 October, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: 

“The job retention scheme has provided welcome, albeit restricted, financial support for providers over the last three months. 

"However, the withdrawal of this support implies that our sector, and many others, are now financially secure enough to cope without additional government support. This could not be further from the truth. 

"In fact, our own research shows that a quarter of providers fear permanent closure in under 12 months and DfE figures released this week show that only 10% of childcare places have been taken up as of 4 June. 

"The sector is in a fight for survival, and if it is to survive in the short-term, the government urgently needs to commit to supporting the sector with significant transitional funding. Without it, many providers will face the heartbreaking decision to close their doors for good."

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