When you get excited, you sometimes do things without thinking about the consequences.
It’s quite possible that such a scenario led to David Cameron’s surprise pledge to increase free childcare hours for three to four-year-olds. We are, after all, in the midst of election fever. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t the first candidate to express a commitment to early years.
This should be a great thing.
However, I suspect that any additional funding will not cover the true cost of all the additional hours being pledged. The shortfall, I’m afraid, dear nursery owners and managers, will come down to you.
Don’t be surprised to once again hear outgoing Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah’s message that “the sector needs to offer more flexible, seamless solutions to meet these needs”, just in different words and by a different person.
With another coalition looking likely, you can arguably take anything the politicians say with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, early years appears to be moving up the agenda. It’s therefore important to start planning for the potential impacts of the different parties’ policies. Whatever the outcome, you’re the ones that will have to make it work.
(And if you happen to come to the conclusion that you need a more flexible, seamless nursery software solution to help you manage the changes…then please give me a call!)
Richard Duddy
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No coalition, but my point stands(!). Nursery folk will have to make it work. Good to see the pressure being put on to make sure the free childcare hours are properly funded – every little will count. See interesting comment from PSLA on the recent news: https://goo.gl/X2uHkQ