Press Coverage 2021

21 July

• daynurseries.co.uk: Early years leaders call on government to clarify what new self isolation rules are

14 July

• The Guardian: Two-thirds of working mothers lack summer childcare – UK survey
• Grazia: 77% Of Parents Say Cost Has Prevented Them Accessing The Childcare They Need
• daynurseries.co.uk: All nurseries need a mental health and wellbeing policy, says report
• Nursery World: Call for nurseries to be more open about staff mental health
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: London nurseries and childminders urged to take part in recovery survey

8 July

• Nursery World: Cross-party MPs call for greater post Covid support for early years
• CYP Now: Early Years Commission: Ending child poverty central to improving support by 2030
• daynurseries.co.uk: Boris Johnson urged to 'level up' for young children by 2030

6 July

• NMT: Early years sector responds to education secretary’s statement
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Sector raises alarm over measures replacing education 'bubbles'
• daynurseries.co.uk: 'Huge sigh of relief' for nurseries after self-isolation rule and bubbles scrapped
• daynurseries.co.uk: Bubbles and contact isolation at schools and nurseries will end on 19 July
• daynurseries.co.uk: Black lives matter and children suffer racism at nursery too say mums

3 July

• Nursery World: 'Substantial’ drop in take-up of funded places fuels concern for early years sector

2 July

• daynurseries.co.uk: New figures show early years funded place registrations 'sharply' dropped during pandemic
• NMT: Fall in demand for free childcare places
• TheConversation.com: Why early-years education must be prioritised in pandemic recovery plans

30 June

• daynurseries.co.uk: Government underfunding claims closure of 3,300 childcare providers in the last year
• NMT: Ofsted release statistics for Q1 of 2021
• Nursery World: Ofsted figures show ongoing fall in childcare provider numbers
• CYP Now: Early years leaders back plans to scrap isolation rules

29 June

• The Telegraph: Letters | Children after Covid
• Nursery World: Analysis: The fallout from the Alliance investigation stokes calls for funding review
• Nursery World: Safeguarding - Behind closed doors
• Nursery World: Staff Health & Wellbeing: Part 3 - Levelling up

28 June

• daynurseries.co.uk: Early years chiefs say government's dismissal of childcare funding petition 'beggars belief'
• NMT: Government dismisses petition for early years funding review
• Nursery World: Investing in the future (Sadiq Khan)

24 June

• Mumsnet: “Our investigation found that ministers knowingly underfunded childcare - and parents have been paying the price.”
• CYP Now: Government dismisses call for childcare funding review
• Nursery World: Government dismisses childcare funding petition signed by 110,000
• Nursery World: MPs call on Government to carry out 'meaningful review' of early years funding
• Nursery World: Peers call on Government for better support for babies and young children

21 June

• The Guardian: Letters | Sadly, children’s services are not a political priority
• Early Years Educator: National Week of Play launched by Early Years Alliance
• Nursery World: 'Discover the Power of Play'
• Nursery World: Take part in the National Week of Play from 21-27 June
• CYP Now: Early Years Alliance launches national week of play

19 June

• Nursery World: Duchess of Cambridge launches early years research centre

16 June

• Nursery World: Government treatment of early years sector during pandemic 'unforgivable’
• CYP Now: Government ‘knowingly underfunded free childcare’, EYA investigation reveals

15 June

• The Guardian: Ministers ‘knowingly underfunding’ childcare sector in England | Early years education
• The Guardian: Tuesday briefing: Australia-UK trade deal served up
• The Telegraph: Officials knew free childcare could push up nursery fees
• The Mirror: Tory government secretly predicted their own childcare scheme would push up prices
• The Week: Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 15 June 2021
• Grazia: Childcare Funding Investigation: 'It Is Only By Working Together, That We Can Force The Government To Admit Its Failings And Address This Problem'
• The Canary: Ministers accused of 'covering up' underfunding of early years education
• Morning Star: New data shows ministers knew early years was underfunded
• Government Business Ministers knew early years was underfunded
• EarlyYears Educator: Shocking documents on early years underfunding
• Nursery World: Government 'knowingly underfunded' the early years sector
• Nursery World: 'Tragic' figures' show more than 2,500 early years settings have closed
• NMT: Government ministers knew scale of early years underfunding
• daynurseries.co.uk: Ministers 'knowingly' underfunded 'free childcare' and knew parents would face higher costs
• feNews: Sector Response to the Early Years Alliance report on early years education funding

21 May

• Early Years Educator: Report published on Covid-related spending on education in England
• NMT: Early years responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies

20 May

• ITV online: Lack of playtime with peers has negatively affected young children, parents warn
• The independent: Lack of playtime has negatively affected young children, say parents
• TES: Lockdown lack of play harmed young pupils, parents say
• Daily Mail: Lack of playtime with peers has negatively affected young children, parents warn
• Daily Mail: A fifth of pre-school children have seen their physical development impaired because they could not run around outside during lockdown, new study suggests
• daynurseries.co.uk: Charity calls for 30 hours of free childcare for poorer children to recover from pandemic

19 May

• NMT: Concern for disadvantaged children as Covid-19 disruption widens attainment gap
• NMT: Alliance responds as Labour highlights early years provider closures

17 May

• Daily Mail: Parents and babies mix with peers in larger groups after `isolating´ lockdown
• Evening Standard: Parents and babies mix with peers in larger groups after ‘isolating’ lockdown

14 May

• Sky News: COVID-19: Fears of a 'partially lost generation' as gap widens between pre-schoolers
• Evening Standard: Three in five workers say pre-school children are behind with early development
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Nurseries and childminders report widening attainment gap among disadvantaged under-fives
• MailOnline: Under-fives are forgetting how to play with toys or put on their shoes as more miss learning goals since Covid pandemic began, early-learning workers say

11 May

• daynurseries.co.uk: Nurseries 'warmly welcome' pledge in Queen's Speech to bring forward measures 'prioritising' early years
• NMT: Early years organisations respond to The Queen’s Speech

4 May

• Nursery World: Parents 'will be turned away' due to Level 3 staffing crisis
• daynurseries.co.uk: Outstanding nursery owner says: 'I haven't been able to recruit a Level 3 since 2019'
• Nursery World: Business - HR issues during Covid
• Nursery World: Staff Health & Well-Being: Part 1 - The state we’re in

27 April

• Evening Standard: Majority of parents say funding is not enough for nurseries to stay sustainable
• Yorkshire Evening Post: Families are being failed by lack of funding - YEP letters | Yorkshire Evening Post
• daynurseries.co.uk: Lack of government support for early years sector could put England's economic recovery at risk
• Nursery World: 9 in 10 parents think early years sector underfunded - MPs' survey

23 April

• daynurseries.co.uk: Labour launches 'big conversation' on early years and attacks government for slashing spending

1 April

• CYP Now: New EYFS framework to be introduced nationally from September, DfE confirms

30 March

• CYP Now: From crisis in the early years to a fairer start: could we close the school readiness gap by 2030?
• Nursery World: Business - Occupancy and funding

24 March

• NMT: Alliance responds to announcement of home test kits for childminders

17 March:

• NMT: Alliance comments on TUC call to support working mums

16 March

• Social Care Today: Children’s commissioner launches ‘once in a generation’ review

15 March

• CYP Now: Coronavirus restrictions discriminate against children, campaigners warn
• daynurseries.co.uk: Union calls on government to lift childcare burden from working mums

11 March

• The Telegraph: The £18m allotted to help young children catch up post-Covid will get us nowhere

9 March

• daynurseries.co.uk: Parents see childcare costs rise by 4% as nurseries struggle to stay sustainable during pandemic
• Nursery World: Childcare costs rise above inflation, as providers struggle to remain sustainable
• NMT: Report: Childcare costs surge by 4% over the last year

8 March

• The i: Lifestyle: The pandemic of inequality

4 March

• CYP Now: Fury over ‘absurd’ exclusion of childminders from covid-19 home testing

3 March 2021

• NMT: Nurseries and childminders face £247m funding cut for spring term, new analysis reveals
• NMT: Budget 2021: absence of new measures for eary years
• Nursery World: Budget 2021: Business rates relief extension will include nurseries
• daynurseries.co.uk: Chancellor's Budget extends business rates holiday and furlough but nurseries will struggle to plug Spring's funding gap

2 March

• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Early years sector faces predicted losses of a quarter of a billion pounds this term
• daynurseries.co.uk: Chancellor urged to use Budget to support nurseries facing £247m funding cut

1 March

• CYP Now: Early years leaders slam omission of staff from latest vaccination plans

26 February

• The Mirror: Teachers and police blast vaccine priority list - key groups that aren't bumped up
• The Times: Over-40s to be offered Covid vaccine in April
• daynurseries.co.uk: Hope that nursery staff will be prioritised for COVID vaccine 'sadly crushed' by government

23 February

• Nursery World: Coronavirus: DfE updates early years guidance in response to PM 'roadmap'
• Daynurseries.co.uk: All PVI nursery staff will be given COVID home-testing kits in March

22 February

• Metro: Can nursery workers get the Covid vaccine?
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: All PVI nurseries to be sent home-testing kits

19 February

• Early Years Educator: Opinion: Feeling worn down?

18 February

• TES: Covid jabs: 'Education staff should be prioritised'
• CYP Now: Education catch up plans across all uk nations 'do not go far enough'

16 February

• CYP Now: Sadiq Khan warns thousands of London's early years providers fear closure within a year
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Nurseries speak out about confusion over priority for vaccine

12 February

• Evening Standard: Two-thirds of London nurseries are on verge of closure
• daynurseries.co.uk: London Mayor warns Chancellor two thirds of capital's nurseries could shut within the year

11 February

• CYP Now: Nursery staff call for training to deal with complex mental health needs in under-fives
• daynurseries.co.uk: Trauma and abuse facing children leave nursery workers feeling ill-equipped

8 February

• CYP Now: Providers renew calls for covid-19 testing in all early years settings
• The Independent: Nursery staff at risk with Covid spreading like ‘wildfire’ due to lack of tests, sector leaders warn
• daynurseries.co.uk: Childcare workers get COVID tests in Wales but England's workforce left out in the cold
• daynurseries.co.uk: COVID-19 cases in England's nurseries almost double in a week to 2,357

5 February

• Nursery World: The Nursery World Awards 2020 winners revealed!

3 February

• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Nurseries report increase in temporary closures

1 February

• daynurseries.co.uk: One in five nursery staff considering leaving profession due to Covid stress
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: One in five early years workers 'want to leave the sector' - survey

31 January

• The Observer: Covid stress ‘driving hundreds of childcare workers to quit profession'
• Vogue: One Of The Hardest Parts About Parenting In A Pandemic? Intense Decision Fatigue

26 January

• CYP Now: Lockdown response: how services deliver vital support for children

22 January

• BBC.co.uk: Covid: Early years staff safety 'cause for concern'
• Evening Standard: Half of early years staff do not feel safe at work during lockdown, study finds
• The i: Nursery workers treated with ‘contempt’ by Government over Covid concerns in lockdown, shadow minister says
• Tyla.com: Nursery Workers Say Staff Feel 'Worthless' And 'Undervalued' During Lockdown 3.0

21 January

• ITV.com: Covid: Nurseries ‘forgotten by government’ as cases soar among staff

20 January

• CYPnow: Early years leaders hit out at contradictory government advice on home testing
• Nursery World: Government adviser incorrectly says all early years staff eligible for regular testing
• daynurseries.co.uk: Nurseries fear for staff safety and financial survival, minister warned

18 January

• Huffpost: Ministers Accused Of 'Punishing' Nurseries That Fail To Stay Open To All Children
• daynurseries.co.uk: Ditch 'childcare' word to help undervalued, low paid and overworked early years workforce

15 January

• daynurseries.co.uk: Government adviser incorrectly says all early years staff eligible for regular testing

14 January:

• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Dismay as early years staff told they won't be sent testing kits
• daynurseries.co.uk: COVID-19: Nurseries angry over government's refusal to give PVI nursery staff home test kits

13 January

• The Guardian: Letters to the editor: What nurseries and childminders need if they are to stay open

12 January

• The Mirror: Nurseries forced to operate at high capacity during lockdown or risk going bust
• Sky News: COVID-19: Nurseries want priority access to testing and vaccines
• MailOnline: `No intention´ by Government to close nurseries, says Education Secretary
• MailOnline: Less than three quarters of state secondary pupils stayed in lessons in week before Christmas as attendances plummeted, figures show

11 January

• BBC.co.uk: Covid-19: Early years staff 'should have vaccine priority'
• daynurseries.co.uk: Early years leaders welcome rapid testing for all nursery staff across England
• Nursery World: Early years settings will be given rapid Covid-19 testing kits

10 January

• The Guardian: Labour calls for more help for working parents in England lockdown

8 January

• CYP Now: Early years leaders campaign for increased protection to open during lockdown
• The Independent: Lockdown: Nursery staff fear for health as early year providers told to stay open while schools shut 
• Evening Standard: Nursery workers feel ‘abandoned’ by Government after schools ordered to close
• daynurseries.co.uk: Childcare boss calls for Covid test kits given to schools to be redistributed to nurseries

7 January

• BBC.co.uk: 'Show us it's safe' to be open, say nursery staff
• LBC.co.uk: Nurseries are "Covid-secure", insists Priti Patel

6 January

• BBC.co.uk: 'Very little' virus risk at nurseries, says vaccine minister
• The Times: Scientists say nurseries should close for coronavirus lockdown 
• MailOnline: Nurseries opt for partial closures amid safety fears, says Early Years Alliance
• The Mirror: Lockdown 'not enough' as experts demand nurseries close and return of two-metre rule

5 January

• The Guardian: Unison calls for nurseries in England to close amid third Covid lockdown 
• Daily Express: Why do nurseries stay open in lockdown?
• MailOnline: Decision to keep nurseries open may have been political - expert
• The Yorkshire Post: Why are nurseries staying open in Lockdown? Early years settings are still open despite school closures
• daynurseries.co.uk: Nurseries get 'no words of support' as government keeps them open but closes all schools in England
• The Mirror: Keeping nurseries open in lockdown may have been 'political' decision, says SAGE expert

4 January

• The Guardian: Relief amid the 'chaos' as Covid-19 shuts down all schools in England
• CYP Now: Early years ‘ignored’ in row over reopening schools
• daynurseries.co.uk: Nursery staff 'extremely anxious' as schools in Tier 4 Covid hotspots close but early years settings stay open