UK’s working parents face a crisis of childcare this summer
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The average cost of holiday care for a school-aged child over the six weeks of summer break is £943 (S$1,630).
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
LONDON - Britain’s government is desperately trying to convince working parents of young children to rejoin the workforce by making childcare more affordable.
Yet one problem is overlooked: Those with older children have few options for support while schools are shut for the summer.
Fewer than a quarter of the local authorities have enough availability for holiday childcare for parents working full-time, according to new data from children’s charity Coram released on Tuesday.
Those lucky enough to find somewhere to send their children are finding that it is not cheap.
The average cost of holiday care for a school-aged child over the six weeks of summer break is £943 (S$1,630), the data shows.
Vacation childcare is more than double the price of term-time provisions such as after-school clubs, piling pressure on working parents during the summer months.
Britain is one of the most expensive countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development for pre-school childcare.
The lack of availability over the summer months serves to further squeeze household budgets and compounds an ongoing cost-of-living crisis as Britons struggle with persistently high inflation.
Food inflation has been especially sticky, with costs for food and non-alcoholic drinks up by 18.4 per cent year on year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Supermarkets including Asda and Morrisons are offering free or heavily discounted meals to assist families over the summer for children who would normally rely on free school meals.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced measures to address childcare in 2023’s Spring Budget, with a plan to reduce costs for working parents of most children under five years old – although nurseries are still waiting for full detail on the plans.
New and existing subsidies focus on childcare during the school year and neglect to offer year-round care that most working parents need, according to Coram.
Early years organisations have also voiced concerns, saying that most nurseries will be unable to meet soaring demand.
“Current cost of living pressures mean that families are already struggling to make ends meet each month,” according to Ms Megan Jarvie, head of Coram. “Too many find that the cost of childcare means that they cannot afford to work but also cannot afford not to work.” BLOOMBERG
