PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Children: Day Care (28 August 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide a financial support package for (a) childminders, (b) nurseries and (c) other Early Years Foundation Stage childcare providers when they re-open during the covid-19 outbreak.

Asked by:
Feryal Clark (Labour)

Nurseries, childminders and pre-schools, who have provided crucial support throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, are now more vital than ever as hard-working families begin returning to work.

We want to provide security to nurseries and childminders who are open for the children who need them. That is why on 20 July we announced that we will continue to fund childcare at the same level as before the COVID-19 outbreak, until the end of the year. This will give nurseries and childminders another term of secure income, regardless of whether fewer children are attending. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, early years settings will continue to benefit from a planned £3.6 billion funding in 2020-21 to create free early education and childcare places for children.

In addition to this, the government has provided a package of support for individuals and businesses which are directly benefitting providers of childcare. This includes business rates relief and grants, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, the Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the furlough scheme to retain staff, up to the proportion of their salary bill that would be considered as paid from public funding. More details are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

Answered by:
Vicky Ford (Conservative)
8 September 2020