Early years and childcare news

NDNA’s Executive Chair Purnima Tanuku CBE said: “The case around the tragic death of Genevieve Meehan at nursery was a truly shocking incident. These cases are extremely rare but for those affected, one case is too many. Her parents, who have been through the worst imaginable experience for any family, are showing great courage in highlighting how to prevent future incidents and wanting a legacy for Genevieve.

The DfE has announced that it has approved grants for the first 300 new or extended nurseries in schools today.

With National Insurance Contribution (NIC) changes about to hit underfunded nurseries and increase the cost of childcare, NDNA is fully supporting a new petition to exempt childcare settings.

The Department for Education has published how it will deliver £25 million of additional funding to help schools with early years provision and publicly maintained settings. The funding for 2025/26 is to support those settings with NICs costs relating to both teachers and support staff costs associated with the increase to NICs.

The NICs grant  will provide additional funding in respect of early years provision for the following EY settings:

• schools (both maintained and academies)
• governor-run academies and maintained nursery schools
• all other maintained nursery schools

Coram’s annual childcare report 2025 shows just how much the funded entitlement can support parents with the average childcare bill halving for parents in England.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) have published a report on areas where sector specific collective bargaining could help improve pay and conditions for workers. Childcare has been highlighted as a next step after adult social care.