Thousands of early years providers are closing each year, while many of those who remain open are being forced to implement sharp increases in fees and charges in order to remain viable in the face of steeply rising costs. What’s more, the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis is piling ever more pressure onto settings, with more and more providers forced to rely on agency staff, reduce sessions or, in the worst cases, close all together.
At the same time, however, there is a growing awareness among parents and carers, politicians and the wider public not only of the challenges facing the early years, but that these issues are a direct consequence of the government knowingly underfunding the sector for years.
It is vital that this awareness now turns into action. That’s why it is critical that we all, providers and parents, individuals and organisations, work together to put as much pressure on the government as possible to substantially increase early years funding, before the damage done to our vital sector becomes irreversible.
What can you do?
To support your local lobbying and campaigning efforts, the Alliance has put together a free toolkit of resources for early years providers, which includes:
- A template letter for you to use to raise concerns about underfunding to your local MP – plus a separate template for parents and carers for you to share with families at your setting
- A template letter to parents and carers for providers planning on increasing early years fees explaining why they need to do so
- A poster for providers to display in their settings encouraging parents and carers to support the fight for fairer funding (with separate versions for group settings and childminders)
- A simple guide to the problems with the so-called ‘free childcare’ offer for settings to share with parents and carers
- A mini-guide on schools forums and the role they play in shaping local funding decisions
- An early years funding factsheet for providers to use when lobbying local MPs and other local representatives
- A press release template to help providers raise awareness of funding issues in their local press and media
