Biggleswade childminder unhappy with childcare funding freeze

Childminder Hana Foltynova looks after three children at her home in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire

A childminder has said that a freeze in funding by a council for early years childcare provision was "unfair".

Hana Foltynova, from Biggleswade, currently receives £4.19 an hour for funded children from Central Bedfordshire Council.

From April the government will raise the amount it pays councils by 17p but the council will not pass it on.

It said it was because its funding was in "deficit" and it would mean it would be spending more than it has.

Hana Foltynova said the funding helps to give children the best possible start in life

Ms Foltynova said: "Prices of absolutely everything went up, so this will impact on the quality of care, I think it's very, very unfair, it will be a complete disaster for us in early years."

If she looks after three children, she will receive a gross rate of £12.57 an hour.

From that amount she has to pay national insurance, taxes, and for water, electricity, gas and fuel for her car, she said.

"When you take all that away you are talking less than a minimum wage."

She believes because of the financial pressures some providers "will not offer the funded hours".

Ms Foltynova's private fees start at £5 an hour, without food.

Childcare providers can offer up to 30 hours per week free early education places to eligible children aged between three and four. They claim money for this from their local council, which gets government funding to compensate.

India Marshall-Roads said when her son turns three he will be entitled to 30 hours of free early years childcare

Self-employed India Marshall-Roads, from Biggleswade, sends her two-year-old son to be looked after by Ms Foltynova.

She said if the childminder stopped offering funded childcare places she would have to look at alternative provision, but the "childcare options in Biggleswade are already stretched, it's really difficult to find childminders and nursery places, so that will be stressful, trying to work that out, the change for my child, he's really happy here, I hope it doesn't come to that".

She said it was "awful" that the council was not passing the rise on.

In a statement Central Bedfordshire Council said it was committed to supporting early years providers and over the past two years it had passed on the hourly base rate increase.

During the pandemic it experienced fewer children needing provision. That number had now increased, it said, but its funding was based on previous lower figures.

"The decrease in funding means that for the first time, our Early Years funding is in a deficit and unfortunately, it has not been possible to pass on the hourly base rate increase to providers without spending more than we have," it said.

The council had increased funding for "disadvantaged 3- and 4-year-olds and those with disabilities" and it would work with providers around funding issues, it added.

A Department for Education spokesperson said it had spent more than £3.5 billion in each of the last three years to deliver the free childcare offers.

"Local authorities are responsible for setting individual provider funding rates in consultation with their providers and schools forum, and fund providers using their local funding formula."