No winners in pre-school cuts (From Bournemouth Echo)

No winners in pre-school cuts

9:00am Monday 8th February 2010 in

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THERE are really no “winners and losers”, there are only losers if guarantees are only in place to allow for capped reductions in funding over the next two years (Pre-schools under pressure, Daily Echo, February 2).

The losers will include all pre-school and nurseries, parents and children alike if this ridiculous situation is not addressed with some rapid common sense.

The single funding formula was an ill conceived, half baked government initiative, which is why the government has delayed implementation at least until April 2011, and why it could well be scrapped with a change in government.

Why any local authority would choose to implement the scheme in April 2010 is baffling given the controversy surrounding it.

The government funding has always been inadequate to cover the costs of the majority of pre-schools and has only ever been a subsidy in these cases.

We are simply now to receive a lesser subsidy.

Nursery care cannot be provided ‘free’ at ridiculously low rates just because the government wants to say it is free.

Unfortunately, as yet, the majority of parents are unaware of the predicament the pre-schools are being confronted with – but I suspect they soon will with a potentially massive crisis looming.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED, pre-school provider