Northampton nursery launches campaign for funding to be reassessed as pandemic highlights major issues

A nursery school in Northampton that is doing its best to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic is launching a campaign to get the funding system reassessed.

Omnipresence Nursery in Freehold Street, off Barrack Road, pledged to stay open to support parents who are key workers during the pandemic.

However, the global crisis has highlighted issues with funding that have been evident in the nursery sector for years that are now making it difficult for the nursery to stay afloat, financially.

For the owner and the manager at the nursery, enough is enough and they believe these underlying issues now need to be talked about.

Dawnlouise Young, owner of Omnipresence Nursery, said: “We decided to keep our doors open to support key workers but it has become almost impossible running at a cost.

“Staff are here knowing they may not get paid at the end of the month. What we have coming in does not cover the overheads.

“We don’t want to take out a loan that we can’t afford to pay back and why should we ask parents to pay for something they are not having?

“It’s about time we spoke out as we have been backed into a corner.”

Without payment from parents who do not use the 30 hours free childcare scheme, the nursery is reliant solely on the Government’s funding, which in their eyes is not enough and has never been enough.

Manger Sharon Norell added: “There has been an increase in nurseries closing since the 30 free hours were introduced in 2016 and a lot won’t survive this crisis.

“The funding is so low nurseries can’t cover the basic costs. This needs to be re-evaluated before the children suffer.

“The funding will cover rent, utilities, running costs but not the wage bill. This means that the key workers we are currently supporting who work for the NHS and the food chain will not have childcare.”

Although Omnipresence Nursery has always found the funding to be too low, it is only now amid the pandemic that they feel it should be talked about, as there is no additional help in place.

“We would be better off closing our doors and sitting on furlough but we want to do our bit to support the NHS and emergency workers who are putting their lives on the line,” Dawnlouise continued.

“If I got ill they would look after me so we just want to support them. It’s morally right.

“We are not asking for anything that we don’t deserve.

“Schools are still getting funding and they will definitely reopen. There’s no risk of them not reopening.

“Whereas some nurseries have shut their doors and they may not reopen.

“Schools are getting additional financial support with food vouchers, money towards the extra cleaning costs and any additional costs that have been created by COVID-19 but the nurseries are not offered the same.

“If things don’t change, nurseries will no longer exist.”

Concerned that the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of funding combined could leave them in danger of losing the nursery, Dawnlouise and Sharon are planning to set up a petition to take to the Government.

The campaign will urge a re-evaluation of funding, so that all children can have the early education the nursery believes they deserve.

Dawnlouise added: “We want all three an four year olds to have a proper nursery education, not just for the privileged.

“We’re not babysitters, we’re educators. We have children come in here that have real emotional insecurities and we work hard and we go above and beyond to get these children where they need to be to go to school.

“We do what primary schools do so education for three and four year olds should be funded like primary schools.

“We want the funding looked at so that it is like for like.”

The campaign is already being backed by parents at the nursery, who have set up a JustGiving crowdfunder to help Omnipresence during the pandemic.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said: "We have asked nurseries and other childcare providers to close to all children, except for those who are most vulnerable and the children of critical workers, to protect the NHS and save lives.

"We continue to fund councils for the free childcare entitlements for the duration of these closures, even if children are not attending.

"We have also put in place a significant package of financial support including a business rate holiday for many private providers and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support workers."

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