This means disadvantaged children aged under two whose parents are unemployed or do not earn enough to qualify for the entitlement, “are being priced out of accessing the same early education as those in working families”, warns the charity Coram, which carried out the annual survey.
“The system needs to be rebalanced to ensure that all children have the best start in life during their essential early years,” said head of Coram Family and Childcare Lydia Hodges, adding: “Parents who are not eligible for the entitlements are unlikely to be able to meet the cost involved in giving their children the same amount of early education that other children get for free, and many children with special educational needs and disabilities are still finding it hard to get a place."
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