Nursery World - Funding shortfalls burn a bigger hole in nursery pockets

Providing early education places for three- and four-year-olds is
leaving nurseries nearly twice as much out of pocket than a year ago, a
new survey suggests.

Nearly eight in ten nurseries that took part in the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) survey say the funding they receive from their local authority does not cover the cost of providing the places - and they are losing, on average, £929 a year per child (see table). This compares with a loss of £547 per year per child in November 2012.

The 'insight report' survey, which is supported by insurance broker Pound Gates and Nursery World, provides a snapshot of the state of the private and voluntary nursery sector at the end of December 2013. Results show that some nurseries are receiving 'pocket money' amounts of funding per hour, with the lowest amount recorded as £2.80 per hour per child.

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