The review was a key recommendation made in a report published last year by members of the House of Commons petitions committee on the impact of the pandemic on new parents
At the time MPs called for a strengthening of support for those that had become parents during the health crisis.
They urged the government to pledge extra funding for councils which would ensure new parents received a visit from a health visitor before the end of 2021.
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An independent review into childcare funding would also assess to what extent current provision met the needs of new parents looking to return to work, the report said.
However, in its response to the recommendations published on Monday the government said it would not be launching “an independent review of childcare at this time”.
The move has been criticised by the Early Years Alliance which said years of underfunding had left many nurseries, pre-schools and childminders struggling to remain “financially sustainable”.
This meant providers were forced to increase fees and additional charges to continue operating, said Neil Leitch, the alliance’s chief executive.
“As highlighted by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, even with the increase in early years funding rates set to come into effect by April, early entitlement funding will still only see a real-terms increase of 3p per hour next year, and by 2023-24, is on track to reach its lowest real terms level yet,” he said.
The result would increase childcare prices for parents already struggling with a cost-of-living crisis and more providers being forced to close down, he added.
Leitch disputed claims by the government that the number of early years places available across the country had remained stable over recent years.
“The fact remains that there are huge regional disparities, with some areas seeing as much as a 25 per cent fall in places over the past six years.
“If the government is truly committed to supporting children and families to access quality, affordable care and early education, it will invest what’s needed to ensure that our vital sector is able to deliver it,” he said.
Sally Hogg, coordinator of the First 1001 Days Movement, said the government was “diminishing” the impact of the pandemic on babies, children and families across the UK.
“Although we’re still to understand the long-term impact of the pandemic, we know that many young children were exposed to significant adversity during this period, with impacts on their wellbeing and development.
“We were disappointed that the government did not acknowledge this in their response to the Petitions Committee report which states only that the pandemic has involved a ‘significant amount of upheaval’ for new parents.
“This hugely diminishes the experiences of many families over the last two years,” she said.
Disparities in recovery funding were inconsistent with the government’s own acknowledgement of the importance of the first 1001 days, she added.
“The evidence is compelling that the first 1001 days of a child’s life are the most important, yet this government has invested over £1bn in educational recovery in schools but for babies and toddlers it has simply stated that commissioners and providers ‘may wish to consider’ development of a recovery plan to address the impact of Covid-19,” Hogg said.
Chair of the petitions committee, Catherine McKinnell MP, said the government’s response was “all the more disappointing” given that it was the second time it had not recognised the impacts highlighted by its members.
“This continued lack of action means new parents’ needs will continue to go unrecognised and unmet, with long-term consequences for their wellbeing and their babies’ health and development,” she said.
Not only did the response reject calls, backed by more than 113,000 petitioners, for an independent review of childcare funding but it also failed to commit catch-up funding to deal with a backlog in parental mental health and health visiting service, she added.
