As the Easter holidays loom, national charity 4Children is warning of a growing crisis in holiday childcare availability and the damaging impact it could have on working parents and those seeking to join the workforce.
Earlier research
Research published earlier this month by the Department of Education (DfE) surveyed parents in England on their views and experiences of childcare. It revealed that for 60% of working parents, the formal childcare providers they used during term time ceased to operate during school holiday periods. 4Children has calculated that this figure has increased by 13% since 2010, despite Government’s attempts to increase the supply of childcare.
The report
The report found further evidence of stalled progress in the number of parents who had access to holiday childcare:
Of working parents with school aged children, one in five (21%) said they found arranging holiday childcare difficult or very difficult – no improvement since 2010 (also 21%)
Two in five (39%) parents who did not use holiday childcare said they would be likely to use it if it was available – up from 37% in 2010 – suggesting significant unmet demand.
In the Budget 2016, the Chancellor announced additional funding for some secondary schools to provide extra-curricular activities, which may help some parents of older children with their childcare arrangements during term time. However, this new funding will not be available for at least two years, and the charity is warning that without urgent action to address the decline in holiday childcare availability, family stress will peak around the school holidays and efforts to encourage parents into work will be undermined.
This article has been directly sourced from 4 Childen, find out more at: http://www.4children.org.uk/News/Detail/Parents-face-Easter-childcare-woes-as-record-numbers-of-providers-close-their-doors-during-school-holidays