The Cost of Childcare

[bibblebobbles]

Childcare in the UK is one of the most expensive in the world. Joint second place?

So I'm wondering, what policies etc do other countries do to keep childcare costs down?

I used to sit on the board of a childcare provider and I can tell you one thing. The staff-child ratio is the thing that really increases staff costs in the UK. That has to be passed on. As an example 2 year olds was a 1-4 ratio and now moved to 1-5 ratio. In France it's between 1-8 and 1-12. In Ireland if they're 2 and a half years old the ratio is 1-11! Staffing costs are the main driver of high fees. Low ratios are the main driver of high staffing costs.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-raising-public-daycare-prices-in-new-year-1.6695274

^

Daycare in Quebec is currently $9 a day.

When my kids were in it, it was $7 a day.

Cannot praise the system enough

Not sure of ratios: maybe 1-8 for under 2's.

Here's the ratios.

So if there's 16 two year olds, in Quebec you need 2 staff and in the UK you need 4 staff. In reality the UK nursery would cap intake at 15 in that instance and use 3 staff. Still, that's an extra staff member being paid.

And a full day's fee being lost by the nursery by taking from 16 down to 15 kids. All these costs are passed on.