Survey into Holiday playschemes in England

Holiday playschemes in England will cost parents Pounds 350 per child over the six-week summer holiday, according to a survey by the Daycare Trust. The survey found the typical holiday playscheme runs from 10am to 4pm and charges 58.82 a week for each child - more than 350 for the summer break, which began this week - rising to as much as 140 a week in some parts of England. It also found there is an acute shortage of summer holiday childcare places, particularly in rural areas. Daycare Trust director Stephen Burke said the cost of places and the lack of provision in some areas meant parents with pre-school-age and adolescent children faced a 'particularly tough time' in the coming weeks as the survey showed summer holiday childcare was either out of the reach of many families on low incomes, or the hours were 'not enough' to meet the needs of working families. Mr Burke said, 'Despite investment made since the National Childcare Strategy was launched in 1998, parents still face a struggle to find and pay for summer holiday childcare.' He added, 'It is no longer good enough for parents to struggle behind closed doors and be grateful for what little they've got.'