Universal, free childcare - is it a solution?

[KateMumsnet]

This week, Mumsnet Blogger Mummyisagadgetgeek reports back from an event organized by the thinktank Progress on the subject of universal childcare. Should they win the next election, Labour are considering it as a possible policy - so we thought it would be good to find out what it was all about.

So: read her blog report from the event, tell us what you think here on the thread - and if you blog, let us know about it. We'll be tweeting posts next week.

Less than 30% of UK mothers are in full-time work. Unless you have conducted proper research, you can't know whether there is demand to work more or not, except on a purely anecdotal basis.

Meanwhile in Germany the conservative party is pushing through the "Herdpraemie" (kitchen bonus), where parents (read: mothers) are paid ?150 a month if they choose not to take up a nursery place for their toddler.

Allegedly this is, because there's not enough nursery places. A more progressive party might have looked at investing that money into nursery places, but it fits into their ideology.

Kinder, Kuche and Kirche

xenia, exactly. After all it's the Christian Conservative Party. I add it to the list of reasons why I wouldn't want to go back.

ons 2011 29%mums work ft,37.4% mums work pt.minority women housewife don't work
the initiative is probably aimed at the least at 37.4% pt workers,to increase hours
may also help those can't afford childcare to get into employment by accessible childcare

but I don't WANT to work full time
and nor do many mums - they like to work - to have their own money
but why force yourself to do all the shopping and cleaning at the weekend if you don't have to

no one is compelling you to work ft?,you presumably chose pt mode working certainly not overwhelmed at w'end.careful planning,share tasks,do wee bit as go long
I value the satisfaction and salary I get from working,and think it's positive role model to dc

talkin "but why force yourself to do all the shopping and cleaning at the weekend if you don't have to"

Que? If you share the shopping and cleaning equally with your partner, then you don't have to do it all at the weekend. Plus the general assumption that the shopping and cleaning is your job disappears.

we both work part time
I came in from yoga today to a wholly hoovered and mopped house ....
we are fasting today so he kept himself busy!
I love the fact that I make a good living and have not needed paid child care for many many years

talkin why do you assume I do the domestic chores at weekend
is this some kind if its womens work thing,hence i do it at weekend
I have a partner he pitches in equally.I expect nothing less.we share parenting and chores

I'm assuming nothing about anybody, just saying what I did when I worked full time .... and why I won't go back to it.

why did you do it all?was your dp frail?unable to do domestics
so now you do it all?and have no job
how's that work as a good trade off

?
you are not reading my posts. I do not have no job. read what I said at 21.09

tax deductible childcare would be a step in the right direction

I am currently SAHM
I would like to work but childcare costs are too high

? it already partly is ?

no it isn't

well, childcare vouchers come off before tax, and employers get to deduct it so it benefits maintaining employment
and if it was made individually deductible, you'd be back in the loop that they are breaking with self employed tax credits

Childcare Vouchers are capped at a ridiculously low amount

that is true
and brings me back to one of my earliest points

UK childcare is expensive because our child / staff ratios are smaller than those of any other country

I feel our ratio is correct for your children, those under 5...but I don't feel it is the reason childcare is expensive...is it expensive? or is it that compared to other countries it is not funded by the govt to the same level and parents bear the whole cost?
Our fees reflect the high quality and qualifications achieved over the last few years as we were asked to do...in any professions qualifcations/expertise get remunerated...why not for childcare?

The living wage has been proposed today...will it benefit parents and providers alike? and will it affect the cost of childcare?

Italiana, it would be interesting to calculate whether many women earn the living wage after childcare costs have been deducted. Bet vast numbers don't.

the living wage thing is a lovely principle - but like anything else will mean employers employing less people and expecting them to do more work for their money... it would affect both the cost of childcare and probably put pressure on government to change ratios - these things are all interlinked... it will also reduce wages for some - why pay more than a living wage if you can get staff to work for it.... same as the minimum wage did in some areas.

Yes, but the idea we take the childcare costs off women or that women do housework at weekends and not men is what annoys those of us who don't tolerate sexism and seems weird to us. You take childcare costs 50% off the man and 50% off the woman and you do as much as each other at home.

Most people in the UK earn about £25k a year. in the years when they need childcare particularyl for under 5s for say 3 chidlren under 5 that is 2 nursery places (about £250 a week per child = £39k out of tax income) or the option we used full time daily nanny looking after the 3 under 5s in our house much cheaper or 3 child minder places - and then divide that between the couple. Given if you don't ditch your career some women and men will end up earning loads over the next 40 years and if they give up work in their 20s and just have the chance of minimum wage jobs later, it can be very foolish to give up the career whatever your gender. You don't just do the maths now but uin the future too,.

If however you are a cleaner on the minimum wage with no qualification and realise you are never going to earn anything much and have no ambition then yet your husband in that position or you might well decide work does not pay and stay at home.

The govt cannot force a higher ratio....5 under 5 may be proposed but it does not mean that it is compulsory.....
Increasing the ratio of children also means more staff ...so where you are getting the revenue in it goe in wages except for c/ms who will be putting children at risk

Does anyone see childcare or early years as an investment rather than a cost?
why do other countries invest in children then send them to school at 6? because it pays off by having to intervene less later

Living wage is being done voluntarily in many areas and works...read the reports before condemning something unless you prefer the minimum wage...which altogh legal many do not pay

those parents who receive benefits towards childcare are on low wages...surely the living wage means they would get less benefits because their income rises?

Xenia
Most people in the UK earn about £25k a year
UTTER BILGE
the median wage in the UK is £18k
less than 38% of the country have an income of £25k or over

Italiana
The govt cannot force a higher ratio
no, but it can relax the rules forcing such a low one and nurseries - who are businesses after all - will quickly cut costs by changing the ratio