This week is half term which as all working parents will know brings with it the challenge of trying to find child care cover during the days. Some local schools are offering holiday clubs and there are plenty of nurseries that offer child care for school age children too.
The cost of childcare remains high but the Government has eased the burden firstly by introducing thirty hours per week of free childcare for three and four year olds and also by allowing parents to pay for childcare through salary sacrifice vouchers deducted from our wages before tax. My wife and I both do this and it makes a big difference to our annual childcare costs.
The problem in our part of Somerset is that there aren’t enough 52 week a year, 8am – 6pm childcare places available to meet the demand. Whilst some schools are offering holiday clubs we still need many more to do so. And before that is misconstrued as a demand for teachers to work in their holidays, I should rush to add that this actually means allowing an individual childminder or small business with the requisite qualifications and safeguarding to operate from the school premises. The arrangement doesn’t cost the school any money – in many cases it even provides a revenue stream – and it is highly valued by parents living nearby.
If there are any entrepreneurial people reading this who think childcare might be their calling, I’d give some serious thought to starting a business. The demand is massive. And if there are people reading this wondering why on earth the MP is now wailing about childcare, I’d point out that finding decent and affordable childcare is often one of the biggest barriers to getting parents back in to work. In Somerset we are beyond full employment, we have lots of job vacancies that need to be filled, and we therefore want to make sure everyone is able to find work and contribute to our local economy.