Nursery World - Findababysitter.com report: Sector contests claims of huge childcare fee rise

The early years sector has disputed claims made by Findababysitter.com that childcare costs have increased by 19 per cent in the past year.

According to Findababysitter.com’s second annual childcare report, childcare in the UK rose on average by 19 per cent between December 2012 - December 2013, preventing 25 per cent of unemployed parents working.

However, while Findababysitter.com says its figures on costs are based on the responses of 231,000 ‘childcare professionals’, the data only appears to include fees charged by mostly unregulated providers, such as babysitters, nannies, mothers’ helps and housekeepers.

Early years organisations, nurseries and childminders have spoken out against the figures, which theysay do not acurately reflect the fees of regulated childcare for nurseries and childminders.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, (NDNA) said, ‘Findababysitter.com’s survey focuses more on informal childcare such as babysitters, nannies and housekeepers.

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