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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think UK childcare for under-fives is fundamentally broken?

105 replies

Nottoobadreally · 25/05/2026 14:17

To believe that under 5s childcare in England is broken. My child attends nursery 4 days a week (I have to pay for 8.5 hours a day, though she attends only 7 hours as we are locked into full days). Not sure what other parts of the UK are experiencing. My monthly bill in June is £889.48. Mostly "consumables" as we have the 30 hours funding. We are on our first holiday in 2 years for 1 week of that (no reduction). This is monthly so over £10k a year in nursery fees and so it is more than our mortgage. She doesnt wear nappies, the staffing is around 1:8.

Aibu to think the system is broken and the government should fund universal childcare until school? All local nurseries (south-east england) have similar prices as national insurance has risen for them, but funding hasn't. I'm aware the staff aren't rolling in it and even with funding at this level, staff are mostly on minimum wage.

I have older children and amounts weren't much more before the new funding. The staffing ratios at that time were so much better though. Now there's not the staffing ratio to take children to the toilet. A recent email was sent asking parents to keep their children off nursery for 1 month while potty training due to the number of accidents (yes, whilst paying over £1000 if your child attends full-time).

Yes- you're being unreasonable. You decided to have children, you should funding them.

No- yanbu- the childcare system for under 5s is broken and 30 hours free childcare is non-existant.

OP posts:
Nottoobadreally · 25/05/2026 14:30

Yes, I have 5+ years between my children too (older 2 in primary). But it seems numbers of children has gone up, staffing ratios are now very high and facilities have stayed the same. There's 3 toilets for up to 60 children to use. How can this work when little ones can't hold on?

Taking too much time out of working when children are very young can really damage lifetime earnings and tax paid long-term as your 30s/40s is when pay should really accelerate.

OP posts:
Simonjt · 25/05/2026 14:29

Where we live fulltime childcare is £84 a month for us as she’s a second child, if she was the first it would be about £120. Even then its capped at a percentage if earnings, I think 3% for the first child, so very low earners can afford it. If she was our third it would be about £40, a forth it would be £0. We used to pay more than £84 a day.

We pay slightly less in taxes here, I mean like 2.4% less, I think the difference here is thqt childhood is seen as an investment in society as a whole, rather than a private parental bill.

Danikm151 · 25/05/2026 14:27

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g7d6ngjldo

This is being looked into. The extras that parents are having to pay is extreme and frankly some are taking the mick.
Extras are supposed to be voluntary but it’s not presented that way to parents at all.

A child plays with building blocks

Bridget Phillipson to ask competition watchdog to review hidden childcare costs

Bridget Phillipson will ask the competition watchdog to examine costs that families are still facing in government-funded childcare.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g7d6ngjldo

canuckup · 25/05/2026 14:25

It is utterly broken, yes.

Especially when you throw in absent father's not paying CMS.

And it doesn't have to be that way: in other countries it is heavily subsidized.

Bear in mind too these are private organisations: some people are making FORTUNES from nurseries.

Plinketyplonks · 25/05/2026 14:22

Can the government afford to fund all childcare till school starts? How would they do that? By cutting back in other areas? Raising taxes? I had two in nurseries in London and the 30 hrs free when they turned three, and the tax free element, made a huge difference to us. Our children were three years apart for a reason!