In September 2017 the government introduced 30 hours funded childcare. Following the launch, Tops Day Nurseries asked parents of 3 and 4 years olds who attend Tops Day Nurseries for feedback on the 30 hours scheme, from how they found the initial stages of checking eligibility to whether the scheme has allowed them to access additional hours of childcare.
93% of parents who completed the survey visited the government website to check if they were eligible and 59% found the government website user-friendly. A small number of parents found it difficult to access their account on subsequent visits to the website. 47% of parents who completed the survey have increased the hours their child attends nursery and 45% have been able to increase the hours they work due to accessing the funding.
Tops Day Nurseries fully support the government scheme which allows working families to access additional funding for childcare and education of 3-4 year olds. The funding does not fully pay for 30 hours per week per child as the government advertises, but it is a very welcome contribution. Tops is proud to be the most sustainable day nursery group in the UK through its green, eco practices, and is also offering far more to all children than the basic national curriculum (EYFS) including healthy snacks, yoga, large computer touch screen tables, meditation, recycling, eyLog child observations and parent applications, and of course our flexibility and long opening hours.
Our survey results will be shared with a number of MP’s who form The Early Education All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Tops Day Nurseries is very proud to sponsor the APPG alongside four additional sponsors which include the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) and The Pre-school Learning Alliance.
