Spending on childcare rises, but many parents rarely or never ask family for help

More than half of parents in the UK are spending over 20% of their monthly salary on childcare, but many rarely or never ask their family for help, according to new research from GoodCareGuide.co.uk, the independent TripAdvisor style website for the care industry.

More than half of parents in the UK are spending over 20% of their monthly salary on childcare, but many rarely or never ask their family for help, according to new research from GoodCareGuide.co.uk, the independent TripAdvisor style website for the care industry. 

The survey showed nearly a third of parents have admitted to spending 30% of their pay cheque on a nanny, nursery or childminder.  However, despite nearly half of parents claiming that the biggest problem with their childcare is cost, 25% of parents claim that they very rarely, or never, ask their family for help with childcare.   In the survey of 1,620 respondents, Good Care Guide also found that when choosing a nursery, the most important thing on a parent’s mind was quality care (67%) while 14% said that cost was the priority, followed by location and the staff’s qualifications and experience.

Andy Major, Director at GoodCareGuide.co.uk says: “These statistics show what a large percentage of the parents’ pay cheques in the UK are spent on childcare.   While the Government is proposing to bring in 20% tax relief on childcare, they need to ensure that all parents are benefiting from the changes and it’s not just another change that won’t impact those who really need it.” 

This new research found that while 55% of parents say the care their child receives is always of the highest standard, another third (31%) say they are happy with the standard of care most of the time, but there are occasions when they worry.  Common complaints in the survey revealed children being able to leave unnoticed, infants bullied by others at the nursery or suffering food poisoning as a result of being fed while in their care. The survey also asked parents how stressful taking their child to nursery for the first time was.  It revealed that 12% of parents said it was one of the most stressful things they have undertaken, more so than the starting a new job, planning their wedding or the death of a family pet.

Good Care Guide launched in England in February 2012 and is home to thousands of reviews of nurseries, care homes and home care agencies across the country.  





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