Will nursery reforms push up price of childcare?
Updated on 28 January 2009
New qualification requirements for nursery workers have been proposed by the government, but will the cost of nursery places rise as a result?
Nursery carers could have to be qualified to A-level standard, under a new set of proposals by the government to improve childcare provision in England.
But there is concern the reforms could push up the cost of nursery places even higher - with figures published today showing costs rising well above the rate of inflation.
Some parents are paying as much as £20,000 a year for full time care. Parent support groups say the government needs to improve access to affordable care before it can bring in more reforms, or force more parents back to work.
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Childcare costs
Nursery costs are soaring above the rate of inflation, with parents now paying more than £8,000 a year for full-time childcare, research found today.
In some cases, parents could be paying £400 a week, the equivalent of £20,800 a year - the highest reported costs in the country - the report by the Daycare Trust concluded.
A typical full-time nursery place for a child under two in England is now £167 per week, or £8,684 per year.
This is a rise of 5 per cent in the last 12 months, compared to an inflation rate of 3.1per cent, the Trust said.
But the cost of childcare in an out-of-school club in England has fallen 7 per cent in the past year, down to £40 a week from £43.
Emma Knights, joint chief executive of the Daycare Trust said: "Yet again the cost of nursery places has increased above inflation, making pre-school education a big drain on family budgets at a time of financial uncertainty."
