Does everyone think childcare should be paid for?

[Cococomellon]

I have seen a lot of posts in social media about the cost of childcare, that it should be free and all the reasons in favour of that such as allowing both parents to work and the impact on the economy.

I can see how this would be a benefit. I have a young child and pay for childcare but I planned for this and it is not a surprise to me.

Who pays for this "free" childcare? Is there spare money the government has squirrelled somewhere? Should we all pay more taxes? Will the nhs get even less funding? Schools?

Perhaps I am just very right wing as I don't see to see the counter- arguments but I'm sure many people (some who don't have children) don't want to pay for others children to go to nursery?

There are a lot of societal and economic benefits to women being able to work, instead of priced out. Obviously they'd have more money when the kids are little but also a better pension. So more to spend. Lifting the kids out of poverty and setting them up better for their own lives.

I'm a childminder and I don't see why I should subsidise childcare for parents which is effectively what happens when you ask the government to step in. They choose what they decide to pay (as with the current funding) and then make providers jump through hoops to make a living wage or godforbid, a profit.

In theory, if there is free/low costs childcare for working parents then more parents will work and therefore more taxes will be paid. More parents will pay into pensions. Parents will have more disposable income and spend it generating even more tax payments.

I wouldn't want to pay for people's childcare. Already I pay taxes that contribute towards schooling. If people want to have children they need to be willing to cough up to cover the associated costs.

It’s a choice to have children,with that choice comes responsibly to look after them.
no one forces anyone to have them
so why should the government pick up the tab for looking after them.
i had 4 kids ,.government does enough providing free school places

There’s two issues. Childcare is expensive but affordable if, two parents work in well paid jobs. These people can take the short term financial hit and having a bigger gap between children is an option if they can’t.

Childcare is unaffordable for those in lower paid jobs, hence many women give up work/ claim top ups. We need to divert some of that top tier wealth into the wages of the lowest paid workers so they can afford childcare. Never going to happen but that would be the answer.

I look at it in the same way as education. I think though that parents should take a year off each to care for their children because I think under twos benefit enormously from one on one care from a primary carer. 1st year mothers 2nd year fathers should be the norm in my humble opinion. That too should be in the form of paid paternity leave.

It's also a choice to eat to much or drink too much.

Should we deny those people free healthcare once their lifestyle catches up with them?

This is what I think @ouch321 and @Winterpetal

I have a child and of course would have lots more money if we had free childcare but I would honestly rather pay for my own child's nursery costs than pay for those with more children. There is already a lot of help.

There is a sense of entitlement to "help" these days.

If that were the case as I'd have more 30 hour funded parents working for more than the minimum 16 hours and more 2 year funded doing back to work courses and less shopping.

I think it should be tax free though, the whole amount not capped to £8k.

Likewise you could argue that state pensions and carers/fully/partly funded care homes for the elderly should be declined because they've had 50 odd years to save to provide for their old age

I don't think it is the same @livelyinthemuff I can see the argument but almost everyone uses healthcare at one stage or other and where do you draw the line with healthcare choices - smoking related healthcare, any healthcare for people who smoke, the obese, anyone who drinks more than X units a week? What about their children if they have four? The children would be cared for. It is not always possible to pinpoint direct causation.

You cannot plan for most illness the same way you can prepare for having a child.

In a civilised society I think government should at least heavily subsidise childcare.
Much of the financial problems experienced presently by the generation with young dc are due to living costs requiring 2 wages.
I also believe that fathers should have to contribute 50% of childcare costs regardless of whether they remain in a relationship with the mother. It’s time we recognised that childcare is the responsibility of both parents.

I’m very conservative when it comes to the economy, but childcare and education are the only budget items I don’t begrudge big spending on. It’s the very foundation of society.

I could go with this @AnotherAppleThief or even help for one child but why should people with several children have free nursery places from age 2 when others pay everything for one child and higher taxes?!

I feel I am not allowed to say these things out loud. It is not socially acceptable to be a righty.

I understand the theory but we know from the age 3+ system that the government does not fund it properly so making the system from birth would result in more childcare providers closing and shortages of places.

I didn't day free places for 2 year old?

Isn't there already free hours available at 2 and 3 depending on circumstances? Also those in UC get substantial help with costs. I wonder if it might lead to people having more children which I don't think we need.

@AnotherAppleThief I wasn't saying you did say that!

Childcare should be free or at least heavily subsidised. Those who don't want their taxes to pay for it forget that it is those children that will be paying taxes to fund their health care, social care and social security. Not being able to pay for childcare means people have fewer children which means there will be fewer people in the labour market to fund the range of services that we all think we are entitled to.

This. Had a conversation about social carers in the home today. For info, I am in Scotland, where personal care is free to the user.

All well and good, but the carers are paid peanuts, they have to provide their own transport ( mileage rate probably does not cover costs), there are not enough people willing to do the job, and it ends up being shit for carer and caree.
Having the government oversee and pay for childcare is a race to the bottom.

@RaininSummer Yes exactly. People have several children in the expectation of receiving benefits and free childcare while some of us have "good" earnings but have to consider childcare costs in deciding whether to have another child. All while paying higher taxes to fund those having more and more children without a thought.

No, I don't think childcare should be paid for. People need to either look after their own children for pay for someone else to do so. People can't just have children and expect everyone else to look after them for free. People who cannot afford childcare should receive help as with all essentials but many people can afford it.

I don’t, but then again I’m not in the demographic where this would be helpful, I earn well and it hasn’t been a barrier to me returning to work at all.