Children: Day Care

(asked on 26th October 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure that local authorities are aware of their statutory duty to ensure that childcare providers charge for any goods or services, this is not a condition of children accessing a free childcare place with that provider.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 1st November 2016

It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that providers deliver government-funded early education places free of charge, and that parents are not required to pay for additional services or consumables as a condition of accessing a place. The Government does not require local authorities to report breaches of this requirement centrally; however it has clearly set out local authorities’ responsibility for ensuring there are no compulsory charges for parents.

The 2014 Statutory Guidance states that, in relation to delivery of the early education entitlements for two-, three- and four-year-olds, local authorities should ensure that if providers charge for any goods or services, this is not a condition of children accessing their place. The Statutory Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/298754/2014_Draft_Statutory_Guidance.pdf

We reinforced this position in the consultation on reforms to Early Years Funding which was published on 11 August. This makes clear that providers are free to charge parents for consumables (such as drinks, meals and nappies) or additional services (such as baby yoga, music lessons and trips) provided they are not compulsory. ‘So, for example, paying for additional services must not be a condition of taking up a free publicly-funded place’. The consultation document is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/early-years-funding/eynff

We will publish updated Statutory Guidance in early 2017, which will restate the Government position on providers charging for additional services or consumables. We have consulted on draft updated Statutory Guidance which is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/early-years-funding/childcare-free-entitlement/supporting_documents/STAT%20GUIDANCE%20latest.pdf

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