The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published a report on the challenges facing the childcare market in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During the nation-wide lockdown, only vulnerable children and children of key workers could access childcare, meaning fewer than 250,000 children between the ages of zero and four attended childcare on a given day, compared to the 1.4 million before the pandemic. The report warns that in the medium term, a fall in demand coupled with increased operating costs due to social distancing could ‘seriously hamper financial sustainability’ in the sector.