Frontline staff are being overwhelmed by the needs of millions of frightened, vulnerable families, who a month into the lockdown are facing life on the breadline, warns children’s charity Action for Children.
Nurseries around the UK - both large chains and standalone providers - have voiced their concerns about staying open, following the change in official guidance as to how how much they can claim for staff on furlough.
The Government has been criticised failing to provide extra funding for PPE and cleaning for nurseries, despite pledging thousands of pounds to support schools with their extra operating costs during the crisis.
More than 70 children’s and mental health charities and organisations have written to the prime minister calling for the Government to invest in the well-being of babies and toddlers in Covid-19 recovery plans.
Early years organisations have slammed their omission from sharing any of the £1bn funding package that schools will receive as part of a catch-up plan for children who have fallen behind from missing education in lockdown.
Parents are being penalised by being asked to return to their offices without childcare, holiday activities or catch-up schemes in place to support them over the summer holidays, the Labour Party claims.
Babies and toddlers from disadvantaged families spent less time outdoors and reading and playing with their parents during lockdown than their better-off peers, according to new research.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Childcare and Early Education has called on the Government to provide almost £3,000 per child to tackle underfunding.
Low-income families with children with special educational needs and disabilities can apply for emergency funding to help them buy equipment and resources to help them with home learning during the lockdown.
Parents of disabled children have been left without vital care and support during lockdown, a survey by the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) has found.
The children’ s commissioner for England has called for an emergency rescue package for nurseries to prevent thousands of closures as a result of Covid-19, and a complete overhaul of the early years system.
One in six local authorities in England are failing to follow Government guidance on early years funding intended to protect providers from the financial impact of coronavirus, an investigation by the Early Years Alliance has revealed.
The Government has extended the eligibility for 30-hour childcare and Tax-Free Childcare to enable working parents to continue to use the schemes, even if the number of hours they work drops during the pandemic.
Nurseries and early years settings have criticised the Government for failing to include them in discussions with schools about whether it is safe for them to stay open, given the ongoing rise in cases of Covid-19.
Children’s mental health services need a ‘rocket boost’ in funding if they are to support the one in six children in England who have a probable mental health condition – as well as those suffering the consequences of the pandemic, the Children’s Commissioner has warned.
More than 60 members of the First 1001 Days Movement have today jointly written to the new health secretary Sajid Javid to highlight the impact of the pandemic on babies and their families.
Cross-party MPs are calling on the Government to commission a review into the funding and affordability of childcare, and how to provide greater security to the sector following the pandemic.