Coronavirus: Council offers reassurance to nurseries and childcare providers

Shropshire Council has offered reassurance to all nurseries and childcare providers who are concerned about the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Karen Bradshaw, executive director of children’s services, said:

“This is obviously a very worrying time for all our childcare providers who are faced with the financial uncertainty which results from the current crisis and balancing this with their attempts to continue to provide the best possible care for their children and families.

“We value all of our many childcare providers greatly in Shropshire as they are a large and integral part of our overall provision for children and families. We are very conscious of the need to ensure that as many providers as possible are able to remain sustainable and re-open providing high quality care and education as quickly as possible once the current lockdown begins to lift. Hence the measures which we have put in place to safeguard settings finances as far as possible during this time.

“I can also reassure parents that any funding that their child was due to receive for the summer term will still be paid to the nursery.”

In terms of finances Shropshire Council’s current position in relation to its early years providers is as follows.

The interim free entitlement funding payments for the summer term has been paid to all providers based on the headcount claim made in March 2020. For this term, as an additional support for providers, the percentage of funding paid in the interim payment has been increased to 75% from the usual 60%. This payment was made four weeks earlier than was timetabled in view of the financial situation which providers found themselves facing when the announcement of nursery closures was made.

The remaining 25% of the summer terms headcount funding will be provided as quickly as possible, and no later than May 31 2020, which is again earlier than planned.

Though the government has allowed local authorities to transfer funding for those children who have moved to a different childcare provider, the council has decided not to implement this policy and will continue to ‘double fund’ any key worker or vulnerable children who have moved settings for the summer term. In this way no childcare provider should be financially disadvantaged because of deciding to close.

Ed Potter, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said:

“We understand the difficulties that all providers face. Whilst our resources have been focused on those settings that have remained open, we are very aware of the need to offer information, support and guidance to all of our childcare providers during this time of uncertainty. We have sent regular e-mail updates to all of those who have chosen to receive our information and have dealt with numerous e-mails and phone calls from providers seeking support with a wide range of subjects – and we will continue to do so.”

All childcare providers who are eligible to receive the Business Rate Relief and Business Support Grants should be receiving information shortly – and can also contact the Shropshire Council on COVID19businessenquiries@shropshire.gov.uk

Further information for businesses is also available on the Shropshire Council website.

Keep informed and sign up to our daily Coronavirus email updates

Shropshire Council wants to keep you as up to date and informed as possible. To help us do this, we have developed a coronavirus update that will be sent daily at 8pm via email to anyone who has signed up to our e-bulletins.

This update includes the day’s key Shropshire Council news, and some key news from our partners, relating to coronavirus-linked issues. Please click here to sign up for the updates.

Please do encourage your family and friends to sign up to the updates too. This will help us keep everyone up to date with the rapidly-evolving crisis.