The Parenta Group

National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) today responded to Daycare Trust’s annual childcare costs survey and highlighted that the rise in the cost of childcare fees demonstrates why resolving Free Nursery Education issues is critical.

Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) commented: “Nurseries understand that current economic conditions are challenging for families and nursery businesses alike and are doing all they can to keep fee increases to a minimum.

“Although nurseries shop around for the best deals when costs on areas such as utilities rise, they have little choice but to pass some of the costs to parents.
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The difficulties faced by working parents will be laid bare this week when a new report claims that councils are breaking their legal obligation to offer affordable childcare.

With a shortage of places at nurseries and after-school clubs, and insufficient childminders available, some parents are forced to spend as much as £22,000-a-year on private childcare while they are at work.

The Daycare Trust will use its 10th annual childcare survey to reveal the extent to which the problem is being exacerbated by inaction from local authorities. It comes amid growing concern that some benefits cuts will make it less financially viable for parents to take a job or increase their hours.
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Following on from our case-study ‘Nurseries fight for survival‘ back in November, Ofsted research has indicated that childcare places available in England fell at the end of last year.

Ofsted’s research showed that in the final months of 2010, available places fell by more than 3,500.

The figures show that at the end of December there were 1,298,844 places, against 1,302,476 on September 30 – a fall of 3,632.

But the research also showed that the number of registered childminders in England had risen marginally.

While there were 56,710 at the end of September, this rose to 56,882 by December 31 – an increase of 172 childminders.
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