Many creches and childcare facilities will go out of business or choose not to reopen unless the Government agrees a package of financial supports, according to a body representing private sector childcare providers.
Seas Suas says privately owned and operated childcare providers employ 18,000 staff and care for more than 144,000 children.
In its new post-lockdown strategy document entitled "Reopen Safely, Recover Sustainably", Seas Suas anticipates that even if some facilities can open on 29 June, as few as 20% of children will actually return due to continuing concerns among parents.
This will reduce revenue significantly at a time when health and safety costs like personal protective equipment and deep cleaning will rise, and existing