Nursery childcare costs rise steeply, finds Daycare Trust

Placing a child aged under two in a nursery in England costs parents £152 per week on average, according to research compiled by child care charity the Daycare Trust.

The costs are steadily increasing, the charity finds, and the £152 figure compares with an average cost of £144 last year for a full-time nursery place.

However, in Wales the story is more promising. Child care costs are rising but at a lower rate than inflation and the Daycare Trust finds the typical cost in Wales is £131 per week.

Unsurprisingly, the highest child care costs in England were in London and the south east where typical costs were between £180 and £200 per week. The cheapest place to have a child in a nursery was in the Midlands.

Alison Garnham, joint chief executive of the Daycare Trust, said: “With typical childcare costs rising to over a third of average earnings, parents cannot afford to bear the burden of increasing childcare costs alone.”

Although the cost of nurseries and childminders has risen, the cost for out-of-school clubs has dropped by 7% since last year, with the lowest costs being in inner London.

The Daycare Trust is calling on the government to increase the free entitlement to early years education to 20 hours per week for all two, three and four year olds and ensure that local authorities have adequate funding and resources to develop child care services which meet the needs of all families.

Garnham added: “Despite significant government investment in early years and childcare, funding needs to be further improved so that all children have access to high quality, affordable and accessible childcare.”

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