Children's Minister: Assisting the early years in unprecedented times

When I was appointed children’s minister in February, I had all sorts of plans for how I’d spend my first few months in the role. I was so excited to get out and visit early years providers across the country – to meet everyone working so hard to give our children the best start in life and discuss all the ways the Government could help.

Then, of course, coronavirus hit and life changed unimaginably.

The last few weeks have been surreal and hugely challenging for every one of us – both in our work, but also in our home lives.

So, first and foremost, I want to say a huge thank you to every single person working in nurseries, preschools and playgroups, as well as childminders and local authority staff, for the patience, determination and selfless commitment you have shown to keep children and their families supported during these unprecedented times.

EMERGENCY SUPPORT

Just like NHS staff and other emergency workers, you are on the front lines of this national effort and you are critical to our response.

I am doing everything I can to support you through this difficult period, and I have been working closely with the organisations representing you to provide practical solutions as quickly as possible, including the Early Years Alliance, National Day Nurseries Association and the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

Obviously, a huge part of your day-to-day efforts have been directed towards continuing to provide childcare for critical workers so that they can continue to carry out their essential jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. The department has been working night and day with local authorities, to make sure that early years settings can still operate during this period of turbulence.

As with any business owner, I know a great concern is how coronavirus will affect your finances. That’s why we confirmed as quickly as possible that funding for free entitlements for two-, three- and four-year-olds will continue to be paid to local authorities for the duration of the pandemic.

ADDITIONAL HELP

We have also announced that in exceptional circumstances, councils will temporarily be able to move free entitlements funding between settings in order to help you continue providing sufficient childcare places for vulnerable children and those of critical workers. I know that many of your staff are impacted in the same way as other families, whether through sickness or caring responsibilities, so this flexibility for councils will help where the usual arrangements you have with your families are no longer possible.

On top of this, the Government has announced a business rate holiday for most private providers and confirmed there will be no rise in the fees paid by early years and childcare providers to register with Ofsted in 2020-21. We have also relieved some of the burdens on staff during these challenging times by temporarily changing some of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.

And the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support workers and published guidance to help navigate this scheme. Any early years setting can access it to cover the proportion of their pay bill which could be considered to have been paid for from that provider’s private income, such as parents’ fees. So, for example, if your average monthly income is 40 per cent the free entitlement funding and 60 per cent parent fees, you can claim up to 60 per cent of your pay bill from the scheme to furlough staff. In the exceptional circumstances where the Government entitlement is moved from a provider, then the provider will be able to access more of the CJRS furlough scheme.

SHOWING RESILIENCE

We have been working at pace to give you clarity on how you can access the financial support available. The measures will help support the sector financially during these uncertain times while also making sure funding is targeted and spent effectively. We worked hard to get clarity on this, and I truly appreciated your patience as we did so.

I recognise that this is a difficult time and we will continue to work with the sector to understand your concerns. I can reassure you that I will always work closely with you to monitor and consider any further action that may be required. Longer term I know of the need to continue to support our early years providers as we enter the next spending review.

The resilience you have shown over the last few weeks and the dedication you have shown to supporting children and families is a testament to the sector, and I know we’ll come out of this crisis stronger than ever.