He added: “So, while today’s guidance may rightly make charges clearer for parents, it does not take away from the fact that unless the Government takes urgent action to tackle sector underfunding, many providers will have no choice but to increase the price of any non-funded hours parents take up or optional extras they purchase – or risk facing permanent closure.”.
The updated guidance – published on Friday – says the costs of chargeable extras should be available on the websites of childcare providers, and invoices should be itemised so parents can see a breakdown of the free entitlement hours, additional private paid hours and all the additional charges.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: “While we fully agree that families should be able to access early entitlement hours without incurring additional costs, in reality, years of underfunding have made it impossible for the vast majority of settings to keep their doors open without relying on some form of additional fees or charges.
“Supporting childcare providers through these changes will be essential, to ensure the sector remains stable, but this updated guidance is an important step towards a transparent system that allows parents to make informed choices about their childcare options and enables all children to access their entitlements, particularly those who stand to benefit the most from high-quality early education.”.
The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its statutory guidance for local authorities in England to protect parents from paying additional charges on top of the Government’s funded childcare offer.
