Courteney Donaldson, managing director of childcare and education, said rising costs and 30 hours are resulting in the creation of a two-tier early education system, where nurseries catering for richer parents buying more hours are able to offset stagnant Government funding and rising costs.
She said, ‘We have seen an increasingly divergent landscape. Nurseries doing well are doing very well. These are well prepared for 30 hours, in locations which are more affluent' and they 'can reinvest in their business and their people'.
However, settings catering for poorer parents ‘accessing a nursery simply to access 30 hours’ are struggling to meet rising costs, she said.
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