Nursery World - Pre-schools at risk from longer hours

Some pre-schools will be forced to opt out of providing free nursery education places for three- and four-year-olds, unless they commit to opening for 38 weeks a year, Nursery World has learned. Providers claim that they may be forced out of business by Kent County Council's decision to deny them funding for the free early education entitlement if they do not extend the weeks they are open from September 2007.

Providers claim that they may be forced out of business by Kent County Council's decision to deny them funding for the free early education entitlement if they do not extend the weeks they are open from September 2007.

But some pre-schools told Nursery World that they will not be able to meet the conditions because they share premises, while others fear they could lose well-qualified staff and claim that there is no parental demand for 38 weeks' provision.

Kathie Foster, who runs Dunton Green Pre-School in Sevenoaks, said, 'One of my colleagues has been told by Kent she will have to close if she cannot offer the 38 weeks. The Government has underestimated the impact extending the entitlement will have on small village pre-schools. Our parents are not particularly keen on extending the hours. I think we should be able to choose to run the services parents want and what's right for children.'

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