The research, carried out by childcare specialist Sodexo Pass, foundthat most of the 1,189 parents surveyed who had access to a vouchersscheme at work had not taken it up because they thought that applyingwas too much hassle or they said they did not have time to apply.
The research also revealed that most parents had no idea that they couldsave around 2,000 a year on childcare costs, if both parents wereworking. A quarter of parents believed that the vouchers would save themless than 500 per year.
Iain Mcmath, managing director of Sodexo Pass, said, 'It takes just 15minutes to apply for childcare vouchers online - time well spent whenyou could be saving a significant amount of money.'
Meanwhile, another childcare voucher company has reported a five-foldincrease in the number of companies signing up to its childcare voucherscheme in just two months, from November to January. Early YearsVouchers has attributed the increase to the rising cost of living andthe current recession.
Amanda Ward, director of Early Years Vouchers, said, 'We've seen a bigincrease in company sign-ons because employers and employees alike areusing every avenue available to save money. The figures show just howfinancially beneficial it can be to take a few minutes to learn aboutthese schemes. We've helped parents save over 2m in just one yearand I believe that number will continue to increase.'
