The depressing cost of childcare

[Juicylychee]

I’ve been reading about March of the Mummies yesterday, I didn’t know about it in advance to go. I have an almost 2 year old and pay £1k a month for three days of nursery. Really wanted another baby close together but we just cannot afford it. It’s maddening.

It’s maddening. We earn decent wages, public sector jobs. Timed our children so would have 30 free hours (pre school in the end) when second started nursery. No excessive lifestyle and yet we are skint. We are frugal but rubbing pennies together at the end of the month and this was before the CoL crisis. We worked out by the time the youngest is 5 we will have spent £70k odd on childcare and I don’t even work full time.
If I’d been told this before children I’d have said I can’t afford it and probably wouldn’t have had kids. Adore my lovely children and I’m so grateful for them and the lovely nursery settings (don’t begrudge them at all). But it needs to change.

It is extortionate in comparison to earnings, aren’t you reading what people are paying on this thread?

Many couples/women have to factor this in when having a family and sacrifice through the early years then let their children go to state education. Unless they can continue paying the money for private education.

It’s been analysed many times that in the long run, it turns out to be a beneficial decision career wise but of course in the short term it can be tough.

Many women then go on to further their career but childcarers will be left behind to continue earning £12 p/h in the low paid, demanding jobs in childcare.

You have to see the bigger picture and have planned ahead.

Yet you will have @Tillsforthrills saying this is cheap.

Well they will keep the economy going...sooo yeh. There's that.

I fail to see how £10 an hour for childcare is extortionate when nurseries have many overheads and staff to pay.

What would you suggest per hour for the care of your child?

The issue lies with the government not stepping in to help the EY sector and parents, NOT the childcare provisions.

I own a flat and rent it out. In order to keep that flat rented out I have certain costs which I can deduct from the tax payable on the income.

To my mind it follows that in order to keep myself employed I have certain costs (childcare) which I should be allowed to deduct from the tax payable on the income.

The government would still benefit from my working, NI, etc. In my case it would reduce my childcare costs by 1/3rd which would be enormously helpful.

Not cheap but reasonable to pay £10 per hour to a private nursery. Long hours add up.

@Tillsforthrills I am angry at the government, not the providers. I don’t think you’re understanding what everyone is saying.

Oh I completely do, I pay and have paid thousands but childcare providers (like my CM) feel attacked constantly when threads like this call their hard earned fees extortionate.

Instead of focusing on how much they charge the focus of threads like these should be the governments lack of funding and parental support, NOT the fees charged by providers.

It's shocking & a massive reason why birth rates are plummeting

I don't know anyone paying 3k on childcare unless they have kids very close together or triplets or something. How common is this or just London prices?

And the gov should be subsiding it far more.

Nobody is attacking providers. We are all angry at the government. My OP was about the protest yesterday. We all agree that childcare should pay workers better and be a proper career choice. We do not begrudge the nurseries charging but are fed up that we work so hard and have nothing left to show for it.

@surreygirl1987 please do answer me this, how many children is that for, for how many hours per week and how much does it turn out per hour for the child/children? Please do answer.

I get it but your title and many others are about ‘childcare costs’. I don’t think I’m explaining this well but constantly framing it this way does portray that the issue is with the provider costs.

Well yes. Childcare costs because the government don’t give a shit.

"Easy day" lol,have you ever looked after someone elses children?

No the government shouldn't keep folking out more money just because ppl want extra kids we have one could only afford one dh stayed home till he got a funded place, if you can't afford children don't have them simple really word is over populated anyway

One year off
Age 1-3 years at 1k a month is 24k
3+ is funded

What should happen is that 24k is treat as a student loan but with no right of period so you can spread it over your working career if needs be.

if you can't afford children don't have them simple really word is over populated anyway

🙄 but can we stop thickos from reproducing?

There's still significant costs once they start school though with wraparound care and school holidays, unless both parents can take seperate holidays to cover most of this. I think you'd find people would be paying off their loan until the kids go to Uni then you start all over again trying to help them because their loan in no way even covers their accomodation !

Whenever anyone makes the entirely reasonable point that people should carefully assess their finances before having children, someone always trots out the “so only rich people should be allowed to have children..?” line.

You do not have to be wealthy to have children. You do need to be able to feed and clothe them plus provide a roof over their heads.

In addition to that, if you intend to return to work you need to work out if you can afford childcare because unfortunately it costs a lot in this country. It is absolutely shit and unfair but it is what it is and you need to do some basic research so that the costs do not come as shock to you.

If you are on a low income, you will be entitled to help with childcare costs so calculate if that help works for you when you take into account your other costs.

If you are mid to high level salary you get no help apart from whatever has now replaced Childcare Vouchers (I don’t know how the new scheme works as my DC are 7 & 9 so I’m still able to use the old style CCV) so again, calculate the costs.

If you work out that your finances will be tight but it’s doable and you want children then I’d say go ahead. The following years will be tough but there is light at the end of the tunnel when they start school.

If it isn’t doable then my suggestion would be to wait; explore if you can get a higher paid job or work out if staying at home FT and claiming help is feasible.

This doesn’t mean only rich people can have children. It means you need to apply common sense and a basic assessment of income vs outgoings (hint: don’t follow Truss Economics theory when working this out) or if help from the state will be sufficient for you to get by.

It seems to me that some parents have children whilst fully aware that childcare costs will be unaffordable but cross their fingers, hope for the best and then despair when reality hits and they realise finding £1k+ a month really isn't doable.

It was hard 30 years ago and it's double hard now. I feel so sorry for those who don't have grandparents or friends or whatever to help out or two incomes to afford a decent nursery.
I didn't have any help and ended up a stay at home mum. My friends who had relatives on tap fared better.
I feel for the young :(

Very sad to hear all this but I'll admit I didn't have quite the same experience. Mine are now both at school (5 and 8) and the most I ever paid was around £1k a month when they were both at nursery for 3 full days. But that was for a relatively short period of time so we coped. Our nursery is around £45 a day including meals, I access the 20% off tax free childcare and then when DD (youngest) turned 3 her 3 full days were free so no nursery costs at all. I didn't get quite the same number of free hours when DS was 3.
I now pay after school and breakfast club costs but they are around £300 a month after tax free childcare reduction.
I'm in Scotland.