Childcare - cost and competition for spaces

[BingBoings]

Childcare is hitting crisis point where I live in London.

We have three nurseries which offer full time places. Most only do morning or afternoons (not much good if you work).

The cost of all three is now around £2,000 per month.

Not only this - but getting a place at any of them is wildly competitive.

You need to register before they’re born to get a place by the time they’re 9 months old. At one of them you have to register when pregnant to get a place by age 3 (I can’t even work out the maths of how this is possible).

You can’t take them out during maternity leave or you will lose your place. I know of two families paying for nursery and a nanny (!) so the older child doesn’t lose their place, but because their parental leave has run out before a space became available at a nursery.

What are parents supposed to do? It seems enormously counter-productive for the country.

The cost, the difficulty in getting a place, the lack of flexibility… it’s just hopeless…!

We’re a trilingual family and needed DT’s to learn English so a nursery was the best option - although they were incredibly stubborn refusing to speak English!

@Moancup it sounds as though we may live in the same place.

I looked at many many childminders, but as you say the cost of housing means they are actually quite far away - far enough it’s not a sustainable option.

The closest childminder I found was a 30 minute walk away, no parking so couldn’t drive (and would then need to drive home and train into town). Just… not workable.

I don't think this is new. Almost 10 years ago, I had to pay the first month's nursery fees as a deposit prior to the 20-week scan. When DC was born a month early, hence my maternity leave starting/ending a month early, the nursery said they wouldn't have space a month early (I.e. a year away).

It's a risk relying on childminders. They are very limited round here with massive waiting lists, and often can't guarantee a space in advance. So if you don't reserve the nursery space, you could wind up with nothing.

Same with after school care. There is just not enough availability.

I agree with everything you’ve said about the inadequacy of provision, and the unaffordability of what provision exists. I’ve sadly accepted I’m one-and-done and that there will not be a sibling because of the cost of early years childcare plus my age. I really can’t afford not to work; but I can barely afford to work because of childcare. And I expect we’ll be well into the next government, and hopefully implementation of at least some of Bridget Phillipson’s ideas, before there’s any meaningful change - but I’m 40 already, so there just won’t be another child in this family.

I think a lot of it comes down to the increase in housing/property costs having outpaced earnings by such insane amounts - most childcare providers have to pay rent on their homes or commercial premises (or mortgage if they’re working out of a home they own) so that’s factored in even before you look at their fuel costs, wages, and so on. And parents are squeezed till the pips squeak on our own housing costs, etc., too. Truly solving the childcare crisis will out of necessity involve addressing some of the underlying causative factors that have accumulated to drive up costs, and I can’t see that being done effectively for a long while yet.

In terms of practical advice, there might actually be more childminders local to you than you know. I had to use a few sources (apps and council website, website was very poor and hadn’t been updated for ages, until one day it was!) before I found one that would be on a do-able route for me to get to the office and had the right hours available - not all of them were using the same platforms to advertise their services. I also have to commute by public transport and also in central London so completely sympathise. I did have some flexibility wrt start date though, which I appreciate most families might not have - we had to wait an extra 8 weeks before a place was available at the childminder I’d set my heart on. (I’m so glad I didn’t go with a nursery, the childminder we have is as close to perfect as you can get!)

That extra wait on reduced income while I still couldn’t go back to work FT was just-about-doable for me, but won’t be doable for everyone. It’s a disheartening search when you’ve had a few offers of places for your LO but you simply cannot make them work for your family, but hopefully you’ll find somewhere that meets your needs.

@BumblebeeWest I think only children are going to be very common in this generation.

I actually have a nursery place -
although not attending preferred nursery, and far later than I would have liked.

I’m just venting frustration at how ridiculous it is - and, like you, a second one feels like the most insane financial decision given childcare costs.

It’s just incredible it’s not supported by the state. Particularly for children aged under three - what exactly do they expect parents to do?

I'm a childminder and I'm full until Sept 2025, turning people away daily.

It's just not a job people want to do - long hours, treated like crap by the government, very little realisation of what we actually do, constant Ofsted hoops to jump through, expectations of being a teacher/speech therapist/health visitor/SEN all in one ... for £4 an hour from the government 🤷‍♀️

@Penfold1635

The waiting lists are also farcical.

No one is sure when there might be a place. So you need to be on multiple.

But to be on them, you have to pay a fee. So you are shelling out £00s to not even have a place.

My M-F nursery is £250 for an under 2. I viewed another around the same price and then most of the rest were £300-350 pw.

The £450pw was the most expensive but there is a real range. I know a few people who pay about £2k but I also know they didn’t really look into much else so they can’t really complain.

I didn’t pick mine just on price, the option that I liked just as much was £350pw but in the end I couldn’t justify the price difference per month when I liked them both. The journey to the cheaper one is much shorter and it’s on the way to the tube anyway so it’s been a great option.

I imagine it’s more expensive in zone 1 but I’m not that far into zone 3.

The entire system needs an overhaul, I don’t disagree.

I remember a time when mothers would look after their own babies, rather than farm them out to a 19 year old on min wage at the first opportunity.

Crazy, especially if you pay so much for it. But what do I know?

What the F kind of comment is that?

many households need 2 incomes esp with cost of living and then you have to factor in things for later life like NI and pension contributions, women are disadvantaged by leaving the work place

@KatyKlanger I remember a time when mothers would look after their own babies, rather than farm them out to a 19 year old on min wage at the first opportunity.

Farm them out… at the first opportunity. Right.

Do you remember a time when you weren’t a dick?

What about a time when the average single salary could buy a family home? Or do you conveniently forget that but.

Hmm what do you know indeed.

No 19 year olds at DT’s nursery.
Most of the staff were older than me.
Highly qualified and experienced.
I wanted to maintain my career so used professionals to care for DT’s.
We also used two of the staff as babysitters.

Mother's have always worked and the idea of a stay at home parent is a relatively modern idea that hasn't been the norm for quite a while now, giving up work to look after children was mainly the preserve of those who were well-off. I was born in the 80s and I can only think of one family where the mum didn't work at all and all the other mums worked at least part time.

I remember that professional childcare wasn't widely available and that babies, toddlers and small children would be left in the care of retired grandparents, older siblings or unqualified babysitters. I was a babysitter myself and from the age of 11 would regularly look after my aunt's six month old baby (in addition to her 2yr old and her 5yr old) for 6-10 hours at a time while she worked on evenings and weekends.

At least now children have access to, safeguarded, professional, qualified childcare that provides early education as it follows the Early Years Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum (access in theory anyway given the current shortage).

I'm not sure most people use it that much really, and then some of the problems OP describes are quite London specific. So I certainly agree the system is broken, but people don't necessarily realise the extent to which it's a problem. A lot of us are shielded from it at least partially by family help, dropping hours, parents working round each other's shifts etc. And then it's also worse than it was even a few years back- lockdown killed a fair few providers off. Mine are still primary aged but it was nowhere near this shit when they were nursery aged.

I think a lot of it comes down to the increase in housing/property costs having outpaced earnings by such insane amounts - most childcare providers have to pay rent on their homes or commercial premises (or mortgage if they’re working out of a home they own) so that’s factored in even before you look at their fuel costs, wages, and so on. And parents are squeezed till the pips squeak on our own housing costs, etc., too. Truly solving the childcare crisis will out of necessity involve addressing some of the underlying causative factors that have accumulated to drive up costs, and I can’t see that being done effectively for a long while yet

A house price "correction" means tens of thousands of families losing tens of thousands on pounds in negative equity (literally losing it, if they have to move before general inflation erodes the loss). And there's no guarantee that that won't hit those who have or are paying childcare fees. It might help future generations (if not squandered, but don't hold your breath on that) but is likely to be very, very shit for those who are double whammied now

It’s getting really expensive. Mine is now £88 a day for babies and it is completely full until September 2024 and has been for months. There is no flex to change days etc.

I’ve got a colleague at work in a different area who hasn’t been able to get a place for a younger sibling of a child already in. His name was down as soon as she was pregnant and he’ll be closer to 18m before he can start and she started back after mat leave at 13m. She’s been going out of her mind trying to scrabble to put in place temporary arrangements.

this is an issue for all of us though as key workers are starting to be priced out/can’t get childcare. I have friends who are both consultants. They have both just reduced their hours to minimise childcare costs. We need doctors, nurses etc to be able to afford to work. Situation likely to be completely untenable for lower paid staff.

It may actually be a little better for lower paid staff because of entitlement to childcare help from UC, but agreed, it's an untenable situation generally.

This is the problem with our general societal attitude to childcare of sort it out yourself, it's your problem. When people do just that, sometimes we find that actually we did need them after all.

I do exactly this! The day is long, very long but it is what it is.

What about somewhere endear your work.

Can partner drop off and you do the pick up or vice versa to make it easier and share the load?

We do it that way. I reduced my lunch break to 30 mins and took a small pay cut which I don't really notice.

I don't know you can find a £1k place because I pay more than that for my youngest and she's 8. I'm not Hampshire too and not London. It doesn't sound like the situation has changed. I've put names down on wait list after the 20 week scans for both mine.

I’m in London and never had an issue getting into a nursery - unless you’re in an area where there’s a few eton esque nurseries and a load of competitive parents. You may have to travel slightly for one.
as for the cost- it’s not something anyone is aware of or worried about until they face their monthly invoice- ie. It’s not a vote winner, your child your problem is the U.K. narrative. Bet you aren’t campaigning for free school meals for all primary school children either yet.

@KatyKlanger

I agree. Both parents being allowed to take more extended unpaid parental leave would be a preferable situation. I stayed at home until mine were 6&8

Btw if you wondered how we managed? We didn't have a house, just a small rental not in the best neighbourhood, no mobile phone contracts (a shared payg) one old car we shared, no pay tv or subscriptions other than tv licence, no fancy baby groups just church hall type ones. Sacrifices are required to live on one income but it is worth it

You could share a nanny with another couple I suppose.

Maybe a daft question but have you looked for childminders / nurseries closer to your place of work ?