Parents of university age children never got ANY free childcare

[Cliff1975]

Whilst it is great that the government has finally realised that free childcare is needed those of us with university age children did not benefit from this and we are now supporting them through uni at great expense. Maybe once these kids who are getting free childcare get to uni that will be free too? Just can't help feeling that we are missing out from all angles?

I went to a free nursery in 1993, it took kids the year before they started school (3/4yo) and you went 5 day's a week for either morning or afternoon, so about 15 hours. Not much difference to the universal provision my kids have.

I'm just happy that if my kids produce grandchildren, it'll be easier to work.

Totally this! Your argument is bizarre, it’s called progress and should be welcomed!

So because you didn't get it, you don't want others to? Society moves forward, hopefully it improves. If you have uni age kids, you will have benefited from the extortionate house price rises over last 20 years.

This is exactly my point. Interest rates were higher, but you didn’t need a huge deposit. People could afford an average three bed semi on one salary of a postman, nowadays home ownership is out of the question unless people are able to save large deposits.

Mine is 22 and at university and I definitely got some free hours - I think 15?

You are strange.

I am sure you would have benefitted from free University though. I did.

DSS is early twenties. My DH and his ex-partner didn't get help with childcare costs but they did have proportionally much lower mortgage, council tax, food and energy costs. My own DC are pre-trems/teens now and got 15 hours the term after their 3rd birthday but I certainly don't begrudge greater help being given now. The sooner we adopt the subsidised childcare policies of much of the rest of the developed world, the better for everyone. Allowing women to be productive in the workplace benefits the economy as a whole.

How old do people think those with uni age children are?!
I'm 42. Gen xennial or something. No free uni for me, although not as expensive. Houses at stupid prices by the time we were in a position to buy. No 30 hours back in 2005.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for people to get help, but this assumption that people who have uni aged children are much older is bizarre.

The younger generations are suffering more than you. Cost of living, cost of housing, low wages, cost of education. Some things get better, some things get worse. Don't begrudge this very small victory.

This. The government are doing this purely for the economy, not to support families. Otherwise they would make the gas/electrical companies accountable for the massive profits they have made.

It's progress, but very, very slow progess.

I had very little carechild help and had to work round them. Working nights/weekends etc. I'm so pleased that hopefully future generations will get more help and support.

That is not entirely true. Dd is 21 and had 15 free hours term-time until 5. Neither had the child trusts though.

@Cliff1975 it was your choice to send them to a school nursery though where presumably you didn't pay. The 15 funded hours has been in place for older DC than yours and many benefitted from it as I did. Maternity benefits are also much better than they were 20 years ago but I don't think about it as being unfair I didn't benefit from it - I just hope my DC do as parents, much like the possibility of funded childcare from a younger age.

Well if it makes you feel any better to @Cliff1975 it will likely come in when my daughter will be 3. But I chose to have her based on the situation as it was, as you did with your kids. It's not fair for everyone all the time, but you can't try and say this isn't a good thing!

I can see your point OP but did you have any family help when your children were young? I have 3 young children and NO family help whatsoever! EVER! Two sets of very able grandparents who are simply unwilling to help with childcare so I can return to work, go out for for the evening, attend an appointment. I’ve even had to cancel hospital appointments because they’re ‘too busy’ to help look after my children. And by ‘too busy’ they mean they’re going food shopping, doing the garden or ‘resting’. Most of my friends have always had family help with their children.

Life isn’t fair OP!

You’ve probably benefitted from cheaper property prices. Swings and roundabouts!

I hear you op. I'm 36 and I'm still raging I never got free bus travel in London.

When I hit 16 they made it free for under 16s. When I turned 18 they made it free for under 18s!!!

I walked constantly because my mum was tight and would never give me any money. I was forever getting kicked off buses for trying to use old passes. Not fair 😂😂😂

I mean your university fees were cheaper by a considerable amount, around £1000 vs £9000.

I didn't get smp.
My 2 both got free half day nursery in the 90's when they reached 4.
Tuition fees were introduced when my ds started university.
Parents of young dc really do need help with childcare fees.

I have three children, 20, 17 and 14. The first two had no free childcare because it was for the term after they were three then and they were both August birthdays so started school nursery (which was only on offer part time in those days).

I currently have a 2 year old and 5 year old. Both summer term babies so I’m in the exact same position as you OP. Both have not had the free hours until starting school nursery and the school nursery here is mornings only anyway. Luckily I was on mat leave when the eldest went to nursery and I’m off again with DC3 (also summer born!) when DC2 starts in September so mornings only is okay for us anyway. Clearly I didn't plan very well!

When the dc were in nursery (0-5 nursery, not school), the 15 hours were brought in when, I think, dc 1 was 3. We did salary sacrifice too. But it didn't kick in until the term after dc 3rd birthday, so my December baby didn't get them until Easter. But by then, we could see the sunny uplands of primary school and wraparound care, which was much cheaper.

We had some sort of assistance with some free hours and I did direct salary sacrifice for a discount with my work nursery that was on the same campus I worked on.

In 2001 My expenses
Nursery £25 per day now £55 per day
My house 120k now worth approx £320k
Mortgage was 0.5% above BOE base rate for years, interest rates were too low for too long. It’s part of the reason it’s a mess. Obviously we benefitted hugely on a personal level. They are actually at the sort of level they should have always been at.

My pay is on a scale easily looked at online so though I have retired early I know that the increase is around 15%.

Or to look at the positive side, this may be the policy that means you get Grandkids.

The generation currently in University are going to have a nightmare when it comes to being able to afford to buy / rent a house and start a family. Anything that helps couples continue to earn two incomes is going to factor massively into their decisions on whether to start a family.

Yes. My ds in 2004 was charged £800 a year on tuition fees.

Our kids are 28 and 20. They both had free nursery hours when they were 3 and 4.