Nursery World - Settings forced to reduce spending on food and resources, risking their quality of care

Around 7 in 10 nurseries and childminders have had to cut spending on food, materials and equipment to reduce costs, which many say has negatively impacted their 'service', reveal Department for Education (DfE) figures.

Findings from the DfE survey of provides reveals nurseries and childminders are making cuts to boost their income, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

Its ‘Pulse survey of childcare and early years providers’, finds that for almost half of nurseries and childminders, their income is not sufficient to cover their costs – a ‘significantly’ higher percentage than in Winter 2021.

A total of 1,857 people took part in the survey November last year.

To boost their income, 4 in 5 nurseries and childminders said they have had to make at least one change to help manage their finances -including increasing fees, caring for children and implementing additional charges.

Reducing spending on food and energy

A total of 70 per cent have reduced spending on food, materials or equipment and 56 per cent have reduced their energy consumption.

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