Most parents think the Government does not provide enough childcare support

The poll of more than 2,000 parents in the UK, found that 96 per cent think the Government isn’t doing enough to support them with the cost and availability of childcare.

It was carried out in partnership with a coalition of parenting and campaigning groups including Working Families, the Fatherhood Institute, The Fawcett Society and Pregnant Then Screwed, and ran between 20 July and 31 August.

The findings come ahead of a debate on childcare in Parliament later today that was triggered by a petition calling for an independent review of childcare funding and affordability, signed by more than 100,000 parents.

A total of 97 per cent of survey respondents said that childcare is too expensive in the UK, with a third (33 per cent) paying more for childcare than they do for their rent or mortgage. This proportion rose to 38 per cent for both those in full-time work and single parents, and to 47 per cent of respondents from a black ethnic background.

Other key findings include: 

• 50 per of parents who use childcare said that paying for it had either had a ‘significant’ impact on their family’s standard of living, or was just ‘completely unaffordable’. This rose to 63 per cent of single parents.
• 40 per cent said childcare costs mean they don’t spend as much time together as a family as they’d like because of the need to work longer hours or do shift work.
• 12 per cent have had to cut back on essential items, including food and housing, as a direct result of childcare costs.
• 62 per cent of parents who are using childcare said that as a direct result of the cost, they have had to cut back on non-essentials, such as presents and treats.
• 94 per cent of parents who changed their working patterns after having childcare said childcare costs were a factor in that decision, and 73 per cent said they had had difficulty finding appropriate childcare that met their needs.

Solutions to the cost of childcare

Respondents were asked to what extent they supported or opposed suggestions for how the UK and home nation governments could change childcare and family life.

A total of 94 per cent of parents believed that subsidised childcare should start from the end of paid maternity, and 90 per cent think there should taxpayer-funded subsidised childcare from when a child is nine months old.

Of those surveyed, 84 per cent were in support of a duty on large employers to provide subsidised childcare.

Parents were also largely in support of making funded childcare, covering the full working day, available to all pre-school children.

Almost 100 per cent of parents agreed that childcare should be recognised as a ‘vital part’ of our economic and social infrastructure, and invested in accordingly, while 80 per cent thought childcare practitioners should be paid the same as school teachers.

'Parents are ready for a radical shake-up'

Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said, ‘We’ve known for a long time that UK childcare is causing huge problems for families and mothers but, even so, we were surprised by how stark these results are.

‘Parents have shown that they are ready for a radical shake-up. Now it’s time for the Government to listen and invest in childcare as the essential infrastructure that it is.’

The Early Years Alliance said that it was ‘hard to imagine that the survey findings would come as any surprise to the Government’.

Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘Given that the Government's own policy documents describe fully funding the early years sector as “unaffordable” and predict that inadequate funding rates will lead to rising costs for parents, it's hard to imagine that these survey findings will come as any surprise to anyone in Government, despite all the talk of "record investment" into the sector.

‘If the Government is genuinely committed to providing affordable, quality care and education to children and families, it needs to ensure that our sector has the funding we need to actually deliver it.’

A Department for Education spokesperson said, ‘Early years providers are a vital part of our economy and education system, providing millions of pre-school children with the best start in life and helping parents juggle work and family life. We recognise the challenges they have faced during the pandemic, which is why we provided significant financial and business support throughout to protect them.

‘On top of this we have invested more than £3.5 billion in childcare in each of the last three years, we’ve expanded our holiday activities and food programme nationally to support families during the school holidays, and we’re making millions more available through our recovery fund to level up children’s early outcomes, raising the quality of early education even further.’