Early years: demand for ‘free’ childcare surges

Mihaela Fulga says interest in the 15 hours of ‘free’ childcare for nine month olds upwards is growing among parents applying to her nursery – Meadow View Childcare in Welwyn, Hertfordshire. The 15 hours are available to eligible working parents from September and Mihaela says she has seen existing parents increasing their days as a result. She has already seen a rise in demand for two year olds who qualified for 15 hours ‘free’ childcare earlier this year.

Nevertheless, Mihaela is already worrying about the implications for next year when the 15 hours doubles to 30 and whether her nursery will have capacity for new parents as well as existing ones. “The problems will start in January and February,” she says. Currently Mondays and Fridays are quiet days, but she expects that to change. In July the nursery was already seeing greater numbers of children. She says she has had no difficulty in retaining staff up to now as she does her best to meet their needs when it comes to flexible hours. The majority work four-day weeks. She says it is also important to train staff in areas such as special needs. But the nursery has never been at capacity.

Quality childcare

The nursery also needs to create a new room for the additional children. Mihaela says she has not had to plan so far ahead before because the nursery has never reached capacity and it is likely she will have to accept children on a first come first served basis ahead of January.

She adds that the fact that the money for babies and toddlers is significantly more than for pre-schoolers may affect the number of preschoolers some nurseries take on. 

Asked if she thinks pre-schoolers will eventually move to school provision, she says that in wealthy Hertfordshire she thinks parents will continue to pay for the kind of quality childcare and extras her nursery offers, such as yoga, ballet and sign language and nutritious food.  In addition she says schools don’t offer the hours that nurseries do.

Mihaela predicts different waves of pressure on nurseries in the next months, both from two year olds and younger children. But the real shake-up will come in January, she says.

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