AIBU to think UK childcare for under-fives is fundamentally broken?

[Nottoobadreally]

To believe that under 5s childcare in England is broken. My child attends nursery 4 days a week (I have to pay for 8.5 hours a day, though she attends only 7 hours as we are locked into full days). Not sure what other parts of the UK are experiencing. My monthly bill in June is £889.48. Mostly "consumables" as we have the 30 hours funding. We are on our first holiday in 2 years for 1 week of that (no reduction). This is monthly so over £10k a year in nursery fees and so it is more than our mortgage. She doesnt wear nappies, the staffing is around 1:8.

Aibu to think the system is broken and the government should fund universal childcare until school? All local nurseries (south-east england) have similar prices as national insurance has risen for them, but funding hasn't. I'm aware the staff aren't rolling in it and even with funding at this level, staff are mostly on minimum wage.

I have older children and amounts weren't much more before the new funding. The staffing ratios at that time were so much better though. Now there's not the staffing ratio to take children to the toilet. A recent email was sent asking parents to keep their children off nursery for 1 month while potty training due to the number of accidents (yes, whilst paying over £1000 if your child attends full-time).

Yes- you're being unreasonable. You decided to have children, you should funding them.

No- yanbu- the childcare system for under 5s is broken and 30 hours free childcare is non-existant.

I am not sure it is "broken" as it was always very expensive. It's just one of those things people don't realise until they have children. At least there is some subsidy if earn less than 100k

Yes my understanding is the ratios are much higher in Portugal and Germany

The alternative to the consumables charge would be paying more for the other hours... then its the unfunded children that suffer. Or not iffer funding

Is it still legal for nurseries to limited the number of funded children?

Ratios aren't higher in my country (1:4 for under 3s 1:7 for older, unless only there for less than 5 hours per day, in which case 1:13 is acceptable which applies to preschools) but fees are much lower. They are income and family size based (so income limits are higher in bigger families as they will have less spare income) and highest fee is around 350 euros a month. I paid about 140e when DD was little until she got it free for behavioural needs and 20e a month while DS was in the 3 and under class, then zero a month when he moved up to the older class)

This affordability means its normal for both parents to work, neither has to sacrifice their career, but they also have the opportunity to stay home for 3 years (unpaid leave from their job, with a few hundred euros a month benefit from the government) so don't need to send very small toddlers to nursery if they don't want to.

Also on the ‘you chose to have children’ - we as a society pay out for people’s choices - be it extra healthcare for choosing to smoke or chronic knee conditions for choosing to ski

and at what point is the money spent on the child rather than the parent? When they go to school?