The findings from a snap poll of more than a thousand providers by the Early Years Alliance also show that nearly a third of childcare settings have had to fully close at least once since the beginning of June, due to rules stating that anyone that comes into contact with a positive Covid-19 case must isolate for 10 days.
Chief executive of the Alliance, Neil Leitch, called on the Government to include the early years workforce on the self-isolation exemption list, before the ‘vital services the sector provides are put at any greater risk’.
The poll which received 1,043 responses from childcare providers, carried out last week (28-29 July), found that those in the North-West and Yorkshire and Humber were more likely to say they had been forced to fully and/or partially close due to staffing shortages because of self-isolation rules, than those in London and the East Midlands.
Around nine in 10 (87 per cent) of early years providers deliver places for critical worker families, with critical worker children accounting for more than third (35 per cent) of the total places offered on average.
Questingmoles Childcare in Hayward Heath said they had to close for a week due to staff self-isolation, which meant turning away the children of four key workers and 14 other workers.
The Alliance is warning that the Government’s failure to include the sector on the recently expanded self-isolation exemption list could leave critical workers without the childcare they need to work.
The Government recently published a list of sectors where fully-vaccinated workers may be exempt from isolation due to a close contact with a positive Covid case, including food production and supply, veterinary medicines and energy. However, the list does not include those working in childcare settings, despite the workforce being defined as critical workers throughout the pandemic.
A total of 93 per cent of those that responded to the Alliance's poll were of the belief that early years staff should be included in the list of critical sectors exempt from self-isolation rules.
Ofsted registered childminder, Emma Bowskill from Nottingham said she was ‘constantly worried and stressed’ about having to close her setting due to Coronavirus.
‘I have two assistants and nine children (plus wraparound care) a day,' she said. 'If I have to close, I have more than 20 families that won’t be able to go to work – the majority of which are on the Government’s exemption list. It’s crazy’.
'Early years once again the forgotten sector'
Mr Leitch said, ‘When the Government told the early years sector to remain open at the start of year despite instructing schools and colleges to close, it said this was for two reasons: because early years settings were “low-risk Covid environments”, and because of the vital importance of early education and childcare.
‘It beggars belief therefore that now, when self-isolation rules are playing havoc not only with providers’ ability to remain financially sustainable, but also their ability to provide the care and education that working parents need, we are once again the forgotten sector.
'The early years sector is a critical part of our national infrastructure and should be treated as such.’
A Government spokesperson said ministers were hugely grateful to the sector for delivering crucial childcare during the pandemic. However, there are no plans to include its workers on the list exempt from isolating.
'Throughout the pandemic we have provided the early years sector with significant support, including by increasing the hourly funding rates paid to councils for the delivery of high-quality, free childcare places,' they said. 'Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of infection within settings and over the summer, early years staff should continue to undertake twice-weekly home tests whenever they are on site.'
