Much has been said and written about the plight of nurseries around the country with under-funding for the free entitlement and the restrictions of the code of practice. Providers have been able to join together, form protest groups and make their voices heard.
Little has been heard, however, about the challenges faced by childminders in taking part in the free entitlement scheme. This week, we talk to several about the different problems they are encountering.
Funding, as always, is one issue causing disquiet. The hourly rate is sometimes well below a childminder's usual charge. But childminders have the double disadvantage of working with 1:3 ratios for threeand four-year-olds, compared with 1:8 for group settings. Nurseries can access higher rates when providing the free hours for two-year-olds because of the higher ratios they operate, but this does not appear to apply to childminders for the older age group.
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