'More free nursery hours won't fix broken system'

The government has announced plans to introduce 15 hours of free nursery care for two-year-olds

A family campaigner says Jersey's childcare system is "broken", as the government announces plans to introduce 15 hours of free nursery care for two-year-olds.

The island's education minister Deputy Rob Ward said he would propose plans in September as part of the 2026-2029 budget, to be debated by the States in November.

The government currently offers up to 30 funded hours of nursery care for children aged three to four, available for 38 weeks of the year during school term-time.

Recruiter and campaigner Denise Heavey said the extra 15 hours was not enough to help the island's families who were struggling, and called for a complete overhaul of the care sector.

Family campaigner Denise Heavey says the extra 15 hours are not enough to fix the island's childcare system

Ms Heavey said the current childcare system was "broken" with a lot of parents in Jersey struggling.

She said more parents were using food banks, with many working two jobs and trying to fit childcare around this.

She said the choice to look after children at home had been taken away from parents because the island was so expensive.

She said 15 hours of funded nursery care for two-year-olds was not enough to support families, particularly with many businesses not offering flexible working hours.

"From when parents come back to work after maternity leave, there needs to be some kind of funding available so that parents don't have to pay the extortionate nursery fees," she said.

Ms Heavey said, in general, the island's nurseries did a fantastic job but they should be given more support and more funding.

She added that a complete overhaul of the care sector should be a first port of call for government.

Fiona Vacher, who works for an early years charity, says it is essential the government considers its role in childcare

Ward said he was aware of how critical the childcare sector was, adding this was evidenced by the plan to increase funding.

He said addressing challenges should be a shared responsibility, not the government's alone.

He said factors such as the cost of living, a falling birth rate, and the increasing number and complexity of children with additional needs required continuing government focus on the sector.

Fiona Vacher from the early years charity Jersey Child Care Trust said the island's nurseries, much like those in the UK, were struggling with staffing.

She said: "We've seen locally a number of retirements and since Covid a number of people leaving the sector and re-evaluating what they would like to do."

She added that 80% of a child's brain was developed by three years old, so it was essential the government considered its role in childcare to give young people the best start in life.

Acrewood nursery manager says the struggle to find quality staff means she has to reduce her opening hours

Manager at Acrewood nursery Kirsty Haslehurst said her struggle to find quality staff meant she had to reduce her opening hours, from a 18.00 finish to 16.30.

"The hours in nurseries are long and trying to get staff that can work those long hours was difficult, they had no work-life balance," she said.

She said the responsibility put on nursery staff was greater than in other jobs, adding it was a challenge to meet the attractive wages and working conditions of local office jobs.

She said other nurseries in Jersey had faced similar issues.

Mother Gemma Parlett says early years education is crucial for the next generation

Mother Gemma Parlett said she had just made the difficult decision to return to work, putting her 10-month-old daughter in the care of Acrewood.

She said the nursery's reduced opening times meant she had to work fewer hours.

She said: "Obviously that has a financial implication for us so it's a lot of juggling."

She said early years education was "crucial" for the next generation and it should be better supported.

"My baby's only 10 months old, she's extremely fragile and she needs to be well looked after and nurtured and there should be more support for that," she added.