Free 30 hours childcare extended to 1 year and 2 years old.. Also schools to provide wraparound care for 8am to 6pm.

[anonymousxoxo]

I don’t know all the details, but read this earlier on Instagram. Made me so happy!

I’ll happily pay more taxes to fund this.

No more excuses from men saying “oh we can’t afford childcare, can you take the hit on your career because you earn less than me?” Cough cough, gender pay gap but I digress.

Woman don’t have to sacrifice their career and do low paid jobs (nothing wrong with low paying jobs), but men flourish with higher salary, promotions, good career and pension benefits.

This is exactly what we needed.

Please don’t make this a WOHM/SAHM bash thread, I’m just so happy to hear that stupid 3 year gap has gone. I just want every woman to be financially independent, with means to leave a bad situation.

Well it isn’t coming in for a while and there is no word on where they are going to find more childcare staff to make it work. It hasn’t been fully thought out.

Unlikely to happen as nurseries and childminders can’t operate on the contribution from government. Many will now close.

I wouldn't hold your breath on this, the Tories will currently say anything they think will be popular in order to get votes as they gear up for an election.

I’m interested in how the wraparound care is going to work. Who will staff it and where will the money come from to pay for it? Are parents paying for it and how much?

It's just a ploy to get votes it's not due to happen until after the next election.

But it’s likely to mean the end for some early years settings as the funding is so low. The main income comes from the full fee paying children, if they become funded, there will be less income. Also 1:5 ratio is bordering on dangerous.
Great for parents though.

I wish I knew, I’m happy to pay but £2,000 per child is a lot :( I just want it cheaper not all free.

I’m happy to pay the costs, but I can’t afford £2,000 a month per child. I don’t want it completely free, just cheaper.

Yeah that’s true, at least they’re thinking about it. The age 3 limit was stupid.

ive Been working in wraparound care for over 20 years and only stayed on as we were so short staffed.We have huge waiting lists.My DD works in a nursery-same story there-not enough staff and no more room to take anymore children anyway-so where on earth the government is going to rustle up all these childcare providers from I’ve no idea!
Most of the smaller nurseries end up closed because the amount of funding they get for the free childcare doesn’t come close to covering their costs.Nurseries have huge turnovers of staff as well.I think it’s ridiculous and will just compound the current issues

:(

:(

I’ve Been working in wraparound care for over 20 years and only stayed on as we were so short staffed.We have huge waiting lists.My DD works in a nursery-same story there-not enough staff and no more room to take anymore children anyway-so where on earth the government is going to rustle up all these childcare providers from I’ve no idea!
Most of the smaller nurseries end up closed because the amount of funding they get for the free childcare doesn’t come close to covering their costs.Nurseries have huge turnovers of staff as well.I think it’s ridiculous and will just compound the current issues

The government need to fund Nurseries and give them more money. I’m happy to pay but £2,000 a month per child is expensive, I don’t want it completely free. Just reasonable cost. Government need to fix this.

I think there thinking about the next GE.

No sorry I mean for 30 hours childcare free for 3 years. Not this :/

It's brilliant.
Although too late for me ☹️
My wraparound provider closed and every single childminder is full so it's very much needed here, the wraparound cover.i have been forced to change my hours at work because I have no after school care at all now ☹️

Oh :( government should fund nurseries and childcare more, then they complain about birth rate.

It won’t be brilliant as nurseries and childminders will be unable to offer the hours at the rate contributed by the government. Many more will close.

I would have preferred stronger incentives for both parents to work shorter weeks to decrease childcare costs that way, whilst promoting family time and better work life balances for all.

Instead this will just be a further race to the bottom with employers expecting more, less flexibiltt around part time working, children being given cut price low quality childcare from a really young ageand as both parents are now expected to earn a full time wage mortgages etc will go up further too.

Thankfully it's unlikely to happen. Its a Tory hail mary.

If this crackpot idea actually is actioned (and not just a ploy for votes and once GE is won, completely backtracked on) it will be disastrous for the entire childcare sector and therefore non functional for working parents anyway.

I'll eat my hat if we actually see a healthy functioning affordable childcare system in this country ever

I think it’s just an election promise but every nursery I have worked in operates on a shoestring, fully qualified staff are only earning minimum wage, most resources eg for a cooking session are donated by staff, toys and equipment are secondhand from charity shops or donated by parents.

Staffing levels are often illegally low because the office staff ‘booked too many children by mistake so you’re two children over, okay’ or a staff member short because senior staff are ‘in the office if you need me’ so actually in a different building.
There is nothing left to pare.

I think they might be pretending there are enough childcare providers and after school clubs, same as they're pretending they know what a woman is, to wind in middle class women voters. But yes, it's great if it happens. As long as it's not used to force women into poorly paid work. I can imagine e.g. single parents on benefits being forced into poorly-paid childcare work.

Exactly.

8am starts were the killer for us back in the day.
We chose our childcare by who started at 7.30 - and even that meant DH was late for his 8am start if he had to do the nursery run.
We no longer need childcare - but I start at 8am now.
Anyway it's all immaterial, as I can't see it being funded or the capability to staff it all being available.