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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Expansion of free childcare

246 replies

Firefly2023 · 14/03/2023 22:21

I am too old to benefit from this but I do wonder if we are heading in the wrong direction. The expansion of free childcare to one and two year olds is obviously to encourage more people back to work. Is this really such a good thing for the children?

I know that women want to continue their careers and staying at home is detrimental to that. Also in current economic climate, two wages are necessary to survive in most households now, but I am concerned. I think it is a shame that children are all bundled into childcare at a young age and feel sorry for parents being pushed into work when they may prefer to stay home.

I always felt that I missed so much by going back to work very early and I regret not taking more time off in those early years. I wonder if there is a better way. Maybe parents should be encouraged to look after their own children if they want to rather than handing over their babies to childcare. Maybe spend some of the money on incentivising employers to give more paid leave/shorter working hours to support SAH parents. AIBU?

OP posts:
Xant · 14/03/2023 23:21

YANBU, child mental health has collapsed and a huge part of why is babies and toddlers being dumped at uncaring nurseries 8am - 6pm. Yes some are great but many are awful.

VeryLowTum · 14/03/2023 23:23

QueefQueen80s · 14/03/2023 23:16

I LOVE my job, the confidence it brings me, sense of self etc. Love it! but I wouldn't have given up that time at home for the first 4 years of their lives for anything. Even though at times it was dull and monotonous.

Why wouldn't you want to stop doing something dull and monotonous? Plus if you're not doing it all the time, it stops being dull.

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 14/03/2023 23:24

The main problem is that funding doesn’t cover how much it costs to care for children. Currently, parents paying for younger children is what keeps nurseries afloat. Unless they increase the funding-& sort out the recruitment crisis, there will be less places available as more providers will be forced to close.

shit all round

VeryLowTum · 14/03/2023 23:24

pbdr · 14/03/2023 23:18

It's a tricky one, because the evidence shows that until around age 2.5/3 centre based daycare/nursery is detrimental in terms of emotional/behavioural development and (for the youngest children) cognition in a way that is measurable years later. After 2.5/3 there are clear, measurable benefits.
It is not however realistic, nor for many parents desirable, for children to all be looked after at home until they are 3.
Providing direct payments to families rather than offering funded hours would help support those who wish to stay at home with their children, while funding childcare for those who wish to work. That doesn't solve the economic issues that are prompting the push to try to get parents of young children back into work, so it's not a fix-all either.

That's not true, there's actually no good evidence on this. A lot of anecdata and people with very firm opinions but not actual good evidence. Emily Oster is very helpful on the actual facts of this.

JenniferBarkley · 14/03/2023 23:25

pbdr · 14/03/2023 23:18

It's a tricky one, because the evidence shows that until around age 2.5/3 centre based daycare/nursery is detrimental in terms of emotional/behavioural development and (for the youngest children) cognition in a way that is measurable years later. After 2.5/3 there are clear, measurable benefits.
It is not however realistic, nor for many parents desirable, for children to all be looked after at home until they are 3.
Providing direct payments to families rather than offering funded hours would help support those who wish to stay at home with their children, while funding childcare for those who wish to work. That doesn't solve the economic issues that are prompting the push to try to get parents of young children back into work, so it's not a fix-all either.

Is the evidence really that it's detrimental? I thought it was beneficial from 2.5/3 and no evidence either way at younger ages.

Genuine question, never read the research as neither of us were interested in staying home and we have no family nearby so nursery it was.

smileladiesplease · 14/03/2023 23:25

I completely disagree.

I had to give up my nursing career after my second child as child care was out of our reach and this was before any help so no funding in 1989/91. Dh worked away and was the main bread winner.

Being at home with young children is incredibly hard much harder than any other job. I would have loved to carry on my career. I have a close group of friends who all had up give up/go part time too. We were all senior nurses. What a waste.

All for good quality wrap around affordable/cheap child care so parents can work. Obviiously need staff to be well paid too.

Great start for children and good for parental health and the economy

VeryLowTum · 14/03/2023 23:25

Xant · 14/03/2023 23:21

YANBU, child mental health has collapsed and a huge part of why is babies and toddlers being dumped at uncaring nurseries 8am - 6pm. Yes some are great but many are awful.

According to whom is a huge part of child mental health issues about nurseries?

MumOf2workOptions · 14/03/2023 23:25

I've paid thousands out in Childcare, kids are now nearly 8 and 4 it's been a massive outgoing.

We earn too much to get any help aside from child benefit but I was dismayed to have The news on talking about free school meals for everyone on universal credit!

I mean as I said on another thread I totally understand the concept of UC but yet again it may be the case people earning just a little over the threshold have dibbed out yet again.

mysparkleismissing · 14/03/2023 23:27

NurseryNurse10 · 14/03/2023 22:38

They can extend it like this, get loads of kids in but then be unable to staff it. So everyone will be celebrating tomorrow ignoring the very small topic of a severe recruitment issue and qualified staff....

100% I used to work in a nursery but now nanny they'll never cover the staff needed or keep them

Onnabugeisha · 14/03/2023 23:30

daffodilandtulip · 14/03/2023 22:48

I wouldn't worry about being forced back into work, there will be less places as more providers will be forced to close. The funding is a pittance and many places only stay open because of the younger children paying a proper fee.

Clever way to make the government look good and providers look bad.

This is a good point. It’s not been properly planned at all.

QueefQueen80s · 14/03/2023 23:57

@VeryLowTum Just me personally I couldn't have left them with someone else when really young so it sometimes being monotonous was a small price to pay. I don't judge anyone who does though.

JL642 · 15/03/2023 00:14

Surely nurseries aren’t geared up for a sudden in flux of parents wanting to sign their children up for nursery hours? Sorry if I’ve missed the detail somehow I’ve only just heard about this proposed change (been kept busy with the baby!!!)

notangelinajolie · 15/03/2023 00:23

I think it is a sad society that we live in when a Government actively encourages parents to hand over the rearing of their children to a someone else. How is that a good thing?

Motheranddaughter · 15/03/2023 00:50

I’ll make this very simple
Sending children to childcare does not mean you are not rearing your children

Teafor1please · 15/03/2023 04:44

notangelinajolie · 15/03/2023 00:23

I think it is a sad society that we live in when a Government actively encourages parents to hand over the rearing of their children to a someone else. How is that a good thing?

I rear my own children thanks!

Stopthatknocking · 15/03/2023 05:46

I dont think it will result in more children going into childcare. It will benefit those already there, for a short while, until the nurseries close.

At the moment, nurseries are closing due to the low rate they are paid for the funded care.
Many are just managing to stay afloat by large fees paid by those with children under 3.

Most nurseries in my area are full, turning new enquiries away and even limiting numbers due to the trouble getting staff. We regularly have patents who are still pregnant calling looking desperately for places for thier return to work, but everywhere is already full.

Minimum wages are going up, as are all costs, but funding rates are not keeping pace.
More children receiving funding means less income for the nursery.
Lots will not survive, leading to a more acute lack of childcare places then we already have.

It's lose -lose unless the government ups funding rates significantly, not just the usual 5(ish)p an hour.

Dinneronmybfpillow · 15/03/2023 06:00

I'd bloody love to stay home with my children until they are 3, or even go part time. As it is, I'm the main wage earner and I'm a band 6 nurse so it's not like I'm a high earner. If I don't go back to work, we can't pay our mortgage.

We have DTs to place in the baby room in two months. They are EBF and spend 24 hours with me. It's going to be shit but some of us don't have the choice.

Some help with the cost WILL mean however that we aren't sinking all of our savings into the childcare over the next two years, meaning we have a buffer for emergencies etc so this could be monumental for us.

Dinosaurpoopy · 15/03/2023 06:15

I'm undecided. Currently awaiting arrival of DC2 and we had planned for me not to return to work due to childcare costs. Now I won't have that excuse do I return anyway? I'm a teacher in a shortage subject, but also only have this opportunity to be at home once? But with rising costs will it make more sense?

We're going to see what the budget and then the nursery says..

WeWereInParis · 15/03/2023 06:20

Your problem is you don’t have an honest relationship with your husband and you aren’t on the same page. Wishing you could drag all other working parents down and preventing them from accessing more affordable childcare because it’s your “excuse” to your husband so you don’t have to work more is pretty shitty.

👏🏻👏🏻

But the hours probably won't be funded properly anyway, and more nurseries will close, so she won't need an excuse as there won't be any childcare places available anyway.

whereaw · 15/03/2023 06:23

It's interesting. I was talking to my mum about hard it is now, and she was saying how when they were young parents they had very little, in terms of nice things in the home, clothes etc. and you just made do.
But in a capitalist society if we went back to that the whole thing would fall apart and for every unnecessary thing we have, we are paying someone's wage, creating jobs, growing the economy...

Movingonupi · 15/03/2023 06:25

For me personally it will help massively, will literally save us hundreds of pounds a month…but i worry about what is the catch, will it be funded properly, staffed properly etc

monkeyblonde · 15/03/2023 06:29

This all sounds like a step in the right direction- then the kids leave childcare and enter full time education. No support whatsoever for school holidays! I would love to go back to my full time career but 25 day's holiday barely scratches the surface of 13 weeks when schools are closed.

theholidaymum · 15/03/2023 06:29

YABVU - if someone wants to stay home then good for them. The new funding doesn't stop you from doing it, but it will give woman with young kids the choices to go back to work, rather than forcing to stay home or do crappy jobs because of childcare costs.

Mehmeh22 · 15/03/2023 06:36

Your OP sounds like an opinion from the 1980s.

The government has been clever pushing the problem to nurseries. And the small issue of increasing ratios which any childcare provider worth their salt have argued is dangerous.

WeWereInParis · 15/03/2023 06:37

Dinosaurpoopy · 15/03/2023 06:15

I'm undecided. Currently awaiting arrival of DC2 and we had planned for me not to return to work due to childcare costs. Now I won't have that excuse do I return anyway? I'm a teacher in a shortage subject, but also only have this opportunity to be at home once? But with rising costs will it make more sense?

We're going to see what the budget and then the nursery says..

Why do you say "excuse"? You don't need an excuse not to go back to work. You obviously decided you (as a family) could manage on just your partner's income and this announcement doesn't change that. It just means that if your main reason for staying home was childcare, that might now not be as big of a problem.

Although i doubt it will be funded properly, so I wouldn't be surprised if many nurseries decided not to offer it anyway. And then the government can feign surprise and say "oh well it's not our fault the greedy greedy nurseries aren't passing on our generous free hours to parents!"