National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) called for the Government to plug the £1 billion funding hole revealed by an IPPR report.
In a new report, Extending the early years entitlement– costings, concerns and alternatives, the IPPR calculates the Government’s extension of free childcare scheme will cost £1.6 billion.
However, it states that the Government has only allocated an additional £365 million for the first full year (2017/18) rising to £670 million in 2020/21.
NDNA has reiterated, following the recent publication of the DfE’s Childcare Bill policy statement, that the funding review must result in significantly more money budgeted for this extension of “free” places for three and four year olds.