Almost a quarter of breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday childcare providers fear for the future of services over the next academic year with rising costs and increasing pressure on parents' incomes, a survey by the charity 4Children has revealed.
The study of 492 extended services providers found that almost 10 per cent of respondents are at risk of closure during the next school year.
A further 15 per cent of providers are in limbo, unsure as to whether their service will be maintained because of uncertainty over future funding.
The survey found that demand for breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday childcare schemes has dropped in 38 per cent of settings over the past year, with pressure on parents' incomes and unemployment cited as the two main factors fuelling the decline.
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