Children: Day Care

(asked on 21st April 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will enable childcare providers that receive early years entitlement funding to access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 27th April 2020

The government has put in place a number of funding and financial measures to support organisations, both public and private, during the COVID-19 outbreak. These are intended to be temporary, timely and targeted in order to support public services, people and businesses through this period of disruption.

The ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care’ guidance, published on 17 April 2020, sets out the financial support that is available for different types of education, early years and children’s social care providers in England, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care#sector-specific-guidance.

Wider guidance for childcare providers is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.

It is only fair that employers do not receive two public funding streams to pay for the same staff costs and this principle applies universally across all sectors.

A package of support for early years businesses is available, including a business rates holiday, a £10,000 grant for businesses too small to pay business rates and the Coronavirus Job Retention and Self Employment Income Support Schemes.

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