Nursery World - Cost-of-living crisis: Childcare settings forced to increase fees and a third warning of closure

Findings from a survey of providers, reveal that 89 per cent are likely to increase fees this year, while more than a third believe they will have to close their setting within the next year due to rising costs.

A third of those that responded to the Alliance surveyed said they are likely to close within the next year, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

The Early Years Alliance poll, which ran from 10 to 23 January and received 1,156 responses from pre-schools, nurseries and childminders, found that respondents planned an average fee increase of 8 per cent.

Other key findings include:

'I cannot keep paying my staff an appropriate wage when I have to balance increasing bills.'

One respondent said, ‘For the first time since the setting opened, we are at risk of closure. I cannot keep paying my staff an appropriate wage when I have to balance increasing bills. I do not want to pass all the costs onto parents, and fear that if I do then their children will not attend so the end result will be the same. I do not understand how any business can be expected to support such a huge percentage increase in salaries. The other options are to reduce how much we spend on food and resources which goes against everything I believe in and the purpose of running the pre-school.’

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