The government has launched a recruitment campaign and a trial £1,000 ‘golden hello’ to attract nursery workers into early years education.
But early years experts have said it is “too little, too late” to meet demand for places for the free childcare for two-year-olds policy that begins from April.
The early years recruitment campaign – Do Something Big – comes as data shows that 102,000 children have been registered for free childcare in England and Wales while some providers still don’t know how much funding they will receive from the state. The campaign will appear across various media including television, cinema, online, radio and out-of-home advertising.
The rollout aims to save working parents up to £6,500 per year through an entitlement to 30 hours’ childcare per week. From September the policy will be extended to nine-month-olds in September 2024 and to all pre-school children a year later. Currently, only families with three and four-year-olds qualify for the free childcare scheme.
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Education secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between a career and a family and our expanded childcare offer is going to make sure of that.
“From April, hundreds of thousands of parents of two-year-olds will get 15 funded hours. This is good for families and good for the wider economy – ultimately putting more money in parents’ pockets at the end of the month.
“The fantastic nurseries, childminders and professionals across the childcare sector are central to the success of this rollout and our new recruitment campaign will support them in continuing to deliver the flexible and high-quality childcare parents need.”
Last month, only 11% of parents were able to obtain government codes that will allow them to access the new ‘free’ childcare hours for two-year-olds. The figures came from parenting campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, which described the new scheme as being “drafted on the back of a fag packet”.
Childcare workforce research from the Early Education Childcare Coalition in November suggested the extended childcare provision would require an additional 50,000 childcare professionals to join the sector in 2024 and a further 50,000 in 2025 to meet demand and keep existing places open.
The “Do Something Big” recruitment campaign aims to encourage people to start a career working with small children. It highlights the various career routes and progression opportunities offering on-the-job training and flexible hours.
The tax-free £1,000 sign-on bonus for childcare workers is being launched to increase capacity, tackle unemployment, and offer more childcare places, but the trial only covers 20 local authorities across the UK.
Bridget Phillipson, shadow education secretary, said: “This is a startling reminder that the Conservatives have offered a childcare pledge without a plan. Childcare staff are leaving in their droves, leading to nursery closures right across the country. Cheap bungs to new staff when existing workers are turning their back on this key industry will not magic up new places for parents.”
Joeli Brearley, founder of the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “These plans are undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but they’re a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed. The sector needs tens of thousands more early years professionals if it is to meet the demand for places.
She added: “A one-off payment doesn’t deal with the fundamental issue that early years professionals leave the sector because the pay is dreadful and the work can be hugely stressful. The only way to sustainably solve the staffing crisis is to increase wages.”
Chief secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott said: “The cost of childcare remains a major barrier for parents who want to work. That’s why we are delivering the biggest investment ever in childcare in England, which will save a working parent using 30 hours a week an average of £6,500. This recruitment campaign will ensure the sector is ready to deliver.”
The Department for Education released research suggesting 51% of Britons would consider working with pre-school children, and 39% agreeing they would be more likely to do so if given £1,000 cash after joining.
A one-off payment doesn’t deal with the fundamental issue that early years professionals leave the sector because the pay is dreadful and the work can be hugely stressful. The only way to sustainably solve the staffing crisis is to increase wages” – Joeli Brearley, Pregnant Then Screwed
The government said it is also taking steps to provide greater funding certainty to nurseries and childcare providers by providing an eight-week window for local authorities to have to confirm rates, after the DfE announces its funding for councils. It said it will work with the sector in the coming weeks to finalise the approach.
It has told all local authorities to confirm this April’s local funding rates by 29 February.
In October, the government allocated local authorities their share of £289 million to support the expansion of “wraparound childcare”, so that parents of a primary school-aged child could access childcare from 8am to 6pm by September 2026.
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Five areas have confirmed they will expand wraparound provision from this April – Central Bedfordshire, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire – increasing access to flexible childcare for working parents as part of a “test and learn” phase before the national rollout begins in September, the DfE said.
