Councils to rethink nursery funding
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Nurseries are being asked to share their experiences as local authorities start looking at new ways of paying for free childcare services.
As part of new arrangements for funding, announced by children's minister Beverley Hughes last year, all local authorities must work out how much it costs nurseries to offer the free childcare entitlement.
The idea is to find gaps between the cost of providing the childcare and the money given by government to fund it.
The National Day Nurseries Association is asking members to let it know whether or not the cost analysis process has made an impact on funding levels.
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku said some providers were worried councils had not communicated with them properly during the process.
