Nursery Crisis

One in five nursery closures is said to be in London according to The National Day Nurseries Association.

Higher operating costs, cleaning equipment, smaller groups, staff attendance and a host of other reasons have contributed to a drop in income leading to mass closures, which are up by 35% from the previous year. Some nurseries have had to completely restructure their buildings and invest in outdoor space and equipment and remember before all of this, there was an underfunding problem in early years any way.

What about the children? If you think about it, nursery age children have spent most of their young lives in these settings and where it should be an experience which sets their foundation for learning as they move through the education system, many are getting a chaotic and disjointed experience at best.

What are the staff saying? This week alone I've spoken to a mixture of Practitioners and Managers who have either left their last job due to underfunding, closures or redundancies, or are getting ready to close down their provisions, many of which have been told last minute. Stress, anxiety, uncertainty and frustration are feelings that people are experiencing and who knows the knock-on effect of this. 50% of staff in nurseries are now qualified, compared to 85% 4 years ago, with many having left the sector because of low pay, high stress, lack of funding and lack of opportunities. What is this current crisis going to do to those remaining in the sector?

Although there's an urgent call towards the government for investment to support early years settings, how likely is it that this will happen? The situation puts people experiencing this crisis in two positions: either leave the sector completely or stay and make a stance because the cost goes beyond financial...it's thousands of young children making their way through our education system in the next few years and decades lacking fundamental social development milestones.