Nurseries capping places in York due to staff shortages

Some childcare providers are capping places because of recruitment and retention issues in the early years sector, according to City of York Council’s early years entitlement and sufficiency manager Nicola Sawyer.

Speaking during a meeting about childcare places across the council area, she said: “I think this is why we’ve seen some families now struggling to find places, particularly baby places and for children with additional needs.

“Whilst we have a few providers close – and this has been a mix of reasons – most of them are expected to stay viable for another year, although for quite a large majority of them it is a sort of breakeven.

“It’s a fairly vulnerable position for many providers – it’s only one thing that can tip them over from being viable to having to look at closing.”

The council commissions around £11m in grant funding per year to registered providers who deliver early education places for two, three and four year olds.

The private and voluntary sector in the city is made up of 38 private day nurseries, 27 pre-school groups, 123 childminders and 15 out of school clubs.

Early analysis of a new survey of York parents has shown there are some areas of unmet need across the city “albeit in relatively small numbers”, according to a council report.

This includes full day care or sessional care for the under-fives in several ward areas, before and after school provision in Acomb, Bishopthorpe,Dringhouses and Woodthorpe, and holiday provision in Acomb and Haxby and Wigginton.

Historical underfunding, Covid pressures and the current economic climate have all been affecting early years providers. Whereas some parents are having to go out and find more work and therefore pay for childcare, others are struggling to afford to pay for childcare in the first place.

While the council works with providers to meet areas of unmet need, many of them are private businesses – meaning it has to be viable for them to expand.

“If the challenges are not addressed nationally, a two-tier market could emerge as provision in more prosperous areas where parents may be more able to afford fees for additional hours and services, is more sustainable than those in disadvantaged areas,” the council’s report said.

Acomb ward councillor Katie Lomas, Labour, said: “This evidence that Acomb ward is so poorly served in yet another area means that children in my ward will not be getting the start in life that they deserve. Parents already struggling to meet the cost of living will be making very difficult decisions.”

Ms Sawyer explained that a tender process for 16 new early years places in Acomb was underway.

Coun Andrew Waller, executive member for children, young people and education, agreed to raise the issue of low funding, recruitment and retention and the vulnerable status of the sector with the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan.