Toddlers petition as nursery is threatened (Cambridge Liberal Democrats)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats <camlibdems@gmail.com>

Toddlers petition as nursery is threatened

July 5, 2007 1:00 PM

Local toddlers have presented Cambridge MP David Howarth with a petition for better funding for their nursery.

Mr Howarth visited ACE nursery this week to receive a petition from the toddlers and under 5s protesting about the impact national nursery education funding is having on the nursery. All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to five 2 ½ sessions of free nursery education each week. However the Government funding does not cover the full cost of providing these sessions.

Paul Watson, ACE's headteacher, commented:

"ACE wholeheartedly supports free nursery education, but the amount of funding we receive to provide these places does not actually cover our costs. And it is clear that up to half of all private, voluntary and independent nurseries nationwide are in financial difficulty due to the inflexibility of this funding. The government urgently needs to rethink the way this funding operates."

David Howarth added:

"The Government's funding formula is far too inflexible and ignores the real cost of providing pre school education in different areas of the country. Yet again the Government's obsession with centralisation is having an adverse effect on Cambridge residents.

"We all want to provide good quality pre school education for our 3 and 4 year olds but we need to make sure that it is properly funded so that excellent local nurseries are not forced to close."