The stark reality has been highlighted once more by the Daycare Trust's annual survey of childcare fees across the UK, which shows costs rising by well above inflation (see page 5). Typical weekly charges are more than a third of average earnings, and UK parents pay around 70 per cent of the costs of childcare compared with European parents paying typically around 30 per cent.
And while parents are expected to pay such a high proportion of fees, it will be hard for the early years and childcare sector to move forward in the way it needs to, in terms of both quality and quantity. If Government won't provide more funding and parents cannot pay more, then salaries cannot rise to the level needed to pay for much better-trained staff. As Alan Bentley points out in his column this week (page 31), government's refusal to act on the level of funding for the Nursery Education Grant is seriously hurting the private sector. There is still a long way to go and the case for extra money to be forthcoming in the Comprehensive Spending Review is pressing indeed!
