28/05/2026
Well said 👍 exactly what we all are thinking and saying
This is not my normal kind of post, but I have a substantial following now and it only feels right to use this stage to advocate for my community of early years educators.
The debate regarding “hidden nursery fees” is painting early years settings as the issue. Whilst I am not naive to the fact there will be some nursery owners who take advantage of the system, to undermine and discredit the entire childcare sector to suit the political agenda is both unfair and deeply irresponsible. Blanket criticism not only damages the reputation of dedicated professionals, but risks further destabilising a sector that many parents rely on day in day out.
The government created a system branded as “free childcare” while knowing full well the funding rates do not cover the actual cost of delivering high quality care.
That is the real issue here.
Early years settings strive to support families and deliver accessible, high quality care. However, additional charges are often unavoidable because the current funding system does not cover the true cost of delivering these places.
Funded hours ARE NOT FREE. For 3 and 4yr olds, settings receive almost half their hourly rate from the government to provide the same service as a fully paid space. Imagine the government walking into your established bakery business, telling your customers they can buy your cakes for free, but then only fund half the ingredients. But the truth is, we aren’t paying for cakes. We are paying for our children’s future. Their education. Up to 90% of a humans brain has developed by the age of 5yrs. Yet the government proceeds to underfund the entire early years sector and then paint them to be the untrustworthy.
Parents are paying for qualified staff, safe ratios, training, cleaning, resources, emotional support, safeguarding, hygiene standards and environments where children feel safe, secure and able to thrive.
I see the outcomes of high quality care every day. Children leave us confident, capable and ready for life because of the incredible work practitioners do under enormous pressure.
If the government genuinely wants parents back into work and wants economic growth, then it has to stop undermining one of the sectors that makes that possible.
Parents deserve transparency. Early years settings deserve respect. And the government simply needs to stop promising free childcare if they are not prepared to pay providers the true cost of providing that care.
