According to a charity poll, more than half of moms with children under the age of 11 have had to reduce their working hours due to childcare costs.
54% of women were in this situation, according to Save the Children’s online survey, with 40% of respondents stating they or their partner would work longer hours if childcare costs were reduced.
According to the organization, the majority of parents who use paid childcare (73%) either have already noticed a spike in fees or expect one this year.
A quarter of the 204 parents receiving Universal Credit who were surveyed who are parents stated they would move into employment if childcare was made more affordable, compared to about 16% of moms.
Save the Children is urging the government to either expand and reform the tax-free childcare offer through an affordable hours scheme that subsidizes costs for parents, including those receiving Universal Credit, or to introduce a grants-based program to cover upfront childcare costs for the first month.
The cost of childcare affected 56% of parents who answered to the YouGov survey of 2,008 UK parents of children in primary school or younger, with nearly half (47%) indicating they had declined work due to childcare commitments.
The non-profit organization is also advocating for a guarantee of widely available, reasonably priced daycare from the conclusion of maternity leave until the end of primary school.
The poll results were a “wake-up call – England’s childcare system is not working for parents, children, or providers,” according to Becca Lyon, head of child poverty at Save the Children UK.
“The Chancellor needs to move immediately on childcare at next week’s Budget,” she continued. Changing the way persons receiving Universal Credit pay for childcare expenses would be a straightforward but beneficial reform.
“At the moment, they are paid ahead, and low-income families must wait up to a month to receive support back. This system prevents many people from finding employment or keeps those who do in debt.
The government has acknowledged in the past that it understands the financial strains that families and early childhood providers are under and that it has invested more than £20 billion over the last five years to help families with the expense of childcare.
1,681 parents in England, 112 in Wales, 158 in Scotland, and 57 in Northern Ireland were polled, according to Save the Children.
