CEY1143

Written evidence submitted by Organise

 

Thank you for taking the time to consider Organise's official submission to the Education Select Committee's inquiry into childcare affordability and early years education. Organise is a worker-led platform with over one million members, where people from all sectors, professions and employment statuses come together to change the working lives of millions of people for the better.

 

This is a report of two halves. The first section includes personal testimonies from 199 working parents on the main issues they face trying to access affordable childcare. The latter section is made up of submissions from 182 workers in the childcare and Early Years sector.

 

We invite you to read these stories to understand the strength of feeling for a new approach to childcare that protects the workers, parents and most importantly - children.

 

Top findings from the survey:

 

 

 

 

 

Section 1: Working Parents

This section highlights the contributions made by 199 working parents in the Organise network. [1]

 

Have you gotten into debt because of childcare costs?

 

 

 

 

 

How has the cost of childcare affected you?

 

“I’m constantly overdrawn and had to use foodbanks, we don’t qualify for universal credit because they only take into consideration our income.”

 

“Even though my son is entitled to 15h free childcare I still pay £166 per month for this "free" childcare, despite the fact that I claim only 14.5h per week and only term time. When my only income is UC and I receive only £1410 How am I supposed to afford this? Bills are now insane, especially fuel, my monthly bills take almost £1k, food is rising and I was forced to go to the local community fridge to feed my family. And we still are struggling.”

 

“We pay £650 per month for childcare costs, this is after the 20% government tax relief. Obviously, this is just a huge impact on our monthly accounts.”

 

“I have to rely on my own parent to care for my child during school holidays. Also, my partner and I have had to go part-time as it did not make financial sense to work full-time and pay thousands in childcare every month. I feel quite guilty about reducing my work hours as I work in an in-demand job in the NHS and they have been unable to recruit to fill my hours.”

 

“I applied for a nursery place for my child in September as I was going back to work in October and was told my child would have a place in January! At £500 a month at least that would be thousands on childcare at a private nursery, which could have made my going back to work unaffordable!”

 

“Unable to use formal childcare provisions a lot of the time, which affects how much I can work, which affects my ability to pay for formal childcare provisions.”

 

“As parents, one of us must always be available to pick and drop our child for school, shopping, or park. And for that reason non of us can go to work for long hours. We need to accommodate other children as well. Now I need to move to a bigger house but we are unable to afford it. This tense situation impacts our mental health as well.”

 

“Unable to move house, Unable to leave a job I don't like, and rarely see my children as I'm at work all the time. This strains my relationship, depression and anxiety.”

 

“I can only work 3 days a week to allow my child to go to preschool which I find is important for her learning and development however my whole salary goes to her preschool.”

 

“I have gone into debt due to the high cost of nursery fees, compared to my benefits and pay.”

 

“Today is my last day of maternity leave and I'm going back to work tomorrow. I am technical support staff in a high school so I'm very low-paid and my wage will be swallowed up with the childcare costs. The Council nurseries were all full but I managed to get our son into a community nursery where it's £57 a day. The cost really worries me and I don't know why there are not some free hours for all families. We are lower earners but not on benefits so don't get any support.”

 

“Can only have childcare 3 days a week, as this is the only way it's affordable with the 30 fee hours. Can't afford the other two days at 8 hours, full price.”

 

“In the past (3 years ago), the cost of childcare has stopped me from going back to work and contributed to my staying in an abusive relationship as I was therefore not financially independent.”

 

“Apart from our mortgage, it’s the highest monthly cost we have. The private nursery we used raised their prices 2-3 times a year. We used childcare vouchers, my partner took extended parental leave and worked reduced days - but it still took a significant toll on us in terms of both finances and mental health. The UK has some of the highest childcare costs in Europe, by a significant margin.”

 

 

Have you or your partner had to take a lower-paying job or had to leave your job altogether because of childcare costs?

 

 

Do you have issues accessing the 30 hours ‘free’ scheme?

 

If you have had issues, could you say a little more:

 

“I would like to know why this doesn’t come into effect the month after the birthday, waiting till the next term is ridiculous.”

 

“We don't qualify yet as he's too young. If the government were genuinely interested in levelling up then offering families some free hours once the parental leave finishes would do just that. With all bills spiralling across the board families with young children need support.”

 

“Some nurseries allow the use of only a few of these hours. They will not provide the 30 & tell you to go somewhere else for the rest. This is because the Government does not pay their full cost of the hours. Any hours at the start/end of the day are not covered. Whatever portion of the 30 hours the Nursery is prepared to provide covers only “core” hours in the middle of the day. To get even 1 workday covered I incur considerable costs to myself covering the start & end of the day. Meals are not covered. If the nursery closes fairly early & afterschool provisions have to be used they are not covered. & the scheme is SO complicated it’s difficult finding out the actual cost you are incurring for yourself. It’s a nightmare instead of the encouraging facilitating provision it’s meant to be & that folks out of the system think we are being provided with. For some years I have been able to use none of the state provisions.”

 

“We weren’t eligible due to one of our salaries. Even though our combined salaries were lower than some parents we knew who were still eligible.”

 

“The nursery we have selected does not offer this. None of the very good private nurseries participates in a scheme which they find is hugely laborious to administer and does not pay their hourly rate. If it was just a subsidy of their hourly rate it may be used more widely.”

 

“I went back to work when my child was 2 after 1 year on maternity and then quitting my job to stay home for longer with my child during Covid. I was told I couldn’t have the 30 hours free until my child was 3! I would have been out of work for 3 years at that point which may have looked bad for potential employers!”

 

Is there anything else you would like to share with the Education Select Committee?

 

“Childcare costs are much too expensive, especially for people on universal credit. I should get a far more subsidised place as I work full time and my daughter was only two years old. I was penalised for working full-time, whereas if I’ve only worked less than 16 hours my benefits would’ve been much more. Almost all of my pay has gone on nursery fees which seems so unfair! Universal credit should cover costs whether working part time or full time with a two year old.”

 

“I believe all children should be able to benefit from attending nursery early on as it’s important for their learning and allows parents to return to work and contribute to society.”

 

“The childcare system in this country is absolutely flawed and does not support parents/children sufficiently. Childcare bills often run over £1000, which leaves middle/lower income families like ours struggling. Please, do something!!”

 

“The childcare hours should be available when the parents need them at any age, all nurseries should be able to take on new children if they have space at any point of the year and childcare costs should be subsidised at a higher rate so that it doesn’t put parents into debt for going back to work.”

 

“Childcare should be easy to access, safe and thriving for children and not be a barrier for any parent to return to work. If childcare cannot be provided, the parents should be subsidised for the care they provide.”

 

“The cost of childcare in the UK is one of the highest in the world. It's insane. It doesn't pay off to go to work because all you earn goes for childcare plus you have to add from your other pocket. And your child is suffering because they end up not seeing the parents, who have to work around the clock to afford this childcare. The system is sick and needs reform.”

 

“I believe this is an issue of sexism as it often acts as a barrier to women remaining in the workplace and progressing in it. I believe if this impacted as negatively on men as it does on women then childcare costs would have been better subsidised by the government a long time ago.”

 

“Childcare is definitely undervalued. The lower-earning parent generally shoulders the greater share of the responsibility for childcare and already takes a pay cut during their time on parental leave. Then at a time when they are in a position to earn again to support their family, the crippling costs of paying someone else to look after your child hit. Some in government do not seem to get the challenges faced by parents and childcare providers alike. I know the well-off will employ paid help as a standard to support their own children but I was appalled when there was the suggestion that nurseries or childminders should be allowed to look after more children so they could make more money. This suggestion was dangerous. If the government were genuinely interested in levelling up they should be investing in the youngest. Starting the 30 free hours from the point the primary parent goes back to work after parental leave would help absolutely everyone and even go some way to break the cycle of "mum" guilt. It would also benefit children from all walks of life and mean that all children should have had a similar experience of good quality childcare and encouragement in the all-important first years of their development before they go to school.”

 

“I have no idea how normal families are meant to survive between the end of parental leave and free hours kicking in. We both have good salaries and family support and it’s still been a real strain. Housing costs mean most families rely on two incomes to cover basic costs so there really isn’t room in most budgets for £700+ a month - and that just for 2 days a week! Families are desperately struggling. Please help.”

 

“Childcare costs currently feel like a punishment for working and not enough support to help working parents. I do a vital role in the NHS. If working parents are being forced out of their jobs due to childcare costs where will that leave the economy and workforce?”

 

“It is a political choice not to subsidise childcare. Even putting aside welfare, the government should not be playing politics with children. Subsidised childcare and free school meals should be much higher priorities, especially with the level of inequality in the UK.”

 

“If you want parents to return to work then there needs to be more available help for working parents financially as most are like me working to pay the bills and childcare and even that I can’t afford but I can’t afford not to work! Why should working parents not get access to help like unemployed people do it’s not fair.”

 

Section 2: Workers in the childcare sector

 

This section highlights the contributions made by 182 workers in childcare and the Early Years sector in the Organise network. [2]

 

What do you find most challenging about working in the childcare sector?

If you said something else, could you say a little more:

 

“The government funding rate is far below my normal hourly rate, which means that for every funded hour, I am working at a loss.”

 

“Wanting to meet the needs of our children and families but not having the resources to do it.”

 

“When I completed my NVQ3 in childcare, I received a 24p per hour pay increase, which put me just above minimum wage. It took me nearly 2 years to complete the diploma, and I felt I was adequately skilled to carry out an important job, to help the next generation learn to learn, the start of a child's education. I feel the industry is treated as a glorified nannying service, just so parents can get back to work! Each year, the pay rise I receive keeps me just above minimum wage. I think a lot of people in the childcare sector feel undervalued.”

 

“Low funding rates for preschool children. After expenses, funding rates leave childcare workers paid below minimum wage- in some parts of the country. Ofsted inconsistency and 'moving the goal posts'.”

 

“We sometimes work for less than minimum wage, depending on how many children we care for. With rising costs and being seen as glorified babysitters, many are leaving the sector for retail jobs with more money and less stress.”

 

“Lack of support from other sectors. I am a self-employed childminder working long hours, some days for half minimum wage. Government “free childcare” offers over £1 per hour less than my usual charges but can’t charge “top up”.”

 

“Inadequate pay has led to staff leaving for less challenging roles that are better paid, and others are not interested in training for a low-paid role.”

 

Have you thought about leaving the childcare sector for employment elsewhere?

 

If you said ‘Yes’ could you say a little more about why:

 

“I can technically earn more in a supermarket doing fewer hours.”

 

“Because of the low pay, which has not really gone up in ten years plus, lack of opportunities to progress in the sector, no training for staff personal development. A bigger workload, as staff have been cut.”

 

“Pay doesn't match the responsibility of looking after so many children, often children who should have one-to-one staff but don't.”

 

“Underpaid for what we do. Always short-staffed because staff keep leaving and staff always getting ill because parents bring their children in ill then we get ill and don't get paid for being off.”

 

“I do this job because I want to make a difference. But it feels like I'm just treading water. I buy resources for the school out of my own pocket, I'm not earning much but we wouldn't have the resources we need if I didn't. A lack of staff makes it very difficult for us to do our job effectively. Right now our class has 5 children with extreme special educational needs along with another 20 children but just 2 members of staff. The SEN children need extra support but how 2 of us can offer this and educate the other 20 children as expected is almost impossible and I don't feel that we can give all the children what they need. Funding just seems to get worse. Our playground needs fixing. The adult toilet is in need of repair. I don't even get time to eat my lunch in my half-hour break which I never get the full half hour because the parents are late to collect the children. If I didn't love my job and the children I would have left a long time ago. I often cry in the mornings worried about how the day will be. Our children deserve so much more and are being seriously let down by the government and its soul-destroying.”

 

“Pupils with SEND needs are rising, support staff are paid to little, there are huge gaps in staff skills and qualifications which co- relates directly to pay. The pupil/adult ratio needs to be reviewed as staff cannot adequately meet the needs of all children. Teaching staff are frustrated and overworked. Budgets are overstretched and I am consistently using my own funds for classroom resources. I love my job but the hours and pressures are overwhelming.”

 

Has your place of work had to close at short notice for full days due to a lack of staff?

 

Do you think the early years system is adequately preparing young children for their transition into primary education, particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds?

 

If you said No, could you say a little more about why?

 

“A complicated issue, and different challenges for different settings. But I feel Early Years offers evidence-based pedagogy and education, schools are run on outdated and overly political ideologies about how children learn and what they should learn.”

 

“Some children need additional support, unfortunately, the resources, staff and money are not there.”

 

“There is little mandated focus on social and emotional skills.”

 

“Lack of funding means we are not able to spend time focusing on individual children.”

 

“We do our best but with high numbers of children from disadvantaged families and children with Special Needs, it can be challenging to adequately meet individual needs on a daily basis. Staff absence has a big impact on our centre and we would benefit from more input from external services.”

 

“We are currently experiencing high levels of children with SEND and SEMH and we don’t have enough staff to spend time individually with children. I work for a charity preschool and we can’t afford to pay for more staff to be above the ratio. Also, we have been trying to recruit since September and have not had any applications.”

 

Is there anything else you would like us to share with the Education Select Committee?

 

“Whilst I understand that parents do need affordable childcare. The government also need to consider how hard childcare workers actually work to provide care and we should be paid appropriately, especially through government-funded hours.”

 

“I want the government to take the early years seriously and provide more funding towards our future.”

 

“We are in crisis, funding, support resources, staffing and recruitment are all on the brink of collapse. There’s so much we need to say and needs to be heard. Please, please support our early years sector.”

 

“Our entire education sector needs a rethink but especially how we care for 0-7year olds, this is THE fundamental developmental phase. The rest of life depends on this stage.”

 

“The atmosphere within a lot of settings is very low, people are struggling and resentful of the low pay and high demands.”

 

“We need funding and adequate staff. The first 5 years are the most important. Our children deserve better.”

 

“Early intervention has proved time and time again to save children from costing the government much more money in the long run, yet money gets taken away from the Early years sector all the time.”

 

Notes:

[1]              Organise survey: Working parents: Respond to the Government's inquiry into childcare, https://the.organise.network/surveys/1461/results/public

[2]              Organise Survey: Workers in the Early Years sector: Respond to the Government's inquiry into childcare, https://the.organise.network/surveys/1462/results/public

January 2023