Teesside nursery group ready for next stage of the childcare rollout

A Teesside nursery group says they are ready for the next stage in the rollout of free childcare but the delivery 'will not be plain sailing.'

From this week, eligible parents of those aged nine months and over will get support for 15 hours a week.

Next year it is set to double to 30 hours but there are concerns about the capacity of the sector with an extra 85,000 places needed.

James Howlett, Director of Nunthorpe Nurseries, said: "We're ready. We've recruited heavily over the summer and made modifications to buildings where necessary. It's involved an enormous amount of forward planning and investment at our end including training staff.

"The lack of funding provided to nurseries maens that parents can't always get the hours they want for their child. We have to group up our sessions to make the funding viable, given the huge increase we're seeing in both staffing and running cost at the nurseries. They did consult the sector who indicated that the delivery would be nearly impossible at the current rates that the Government provide us per hour but this is yet to change.

"We're seeing a large increase in those who are eligible for funding, in particular nine month-old funding. We're very busy across the board and we have waiting lists on certain days. The increase in the number of hours available next September is certainly concerning if you're looking for childcare. My only advice for parents is to look well in advance so you can get the sessions and day that you require. It's important to get in there early.

"Staffing-wise we're doing OK. We have enough to meet the September demand but we're unsure of numbers going forward and how this may change. We're fortunate enough to have a fantastic team of people that work for us. The majority of the team have worked for us for a long time and have amazing knowledge and experience that they can pass on to our new starters."

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