The findings have come to light in evidence submitted to the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee, which is currently inquiring into the performance of children's centres.
According to government figures released last month, children's centres receive an average of £181,000 from local authorities to support childcare provision. This makes up 53 per cent of the their nursery income, with the rest coming from fees.
But in evidence seen by CYP Now, the Pre-school Learning Alliance said that in reality, private and voluntary sector providers who manage a number of children's centres usually receive less than a third of this amount.
The submission said: "The impact of this is that the most needy children and families are unable to take up extended periods of childcare beyond the free entitlement in these settings compared to local authority-run settings."
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