For a third of parents, the expanded ‘childcare’ offer will save them less than £100 a month due to charges for extras and increased fees outside of the funding, new research suggests.
A survey of 11,100 parents with a child under the age of five, including 6,256 parents eligible for the expanded offer for two-year-olds, reveals that costs for ‘childcare’ and sundry items are increasing for the majority of families, meaning any savings from the new funding are lower than expected.
A quarter of parents surveyed by Pregnant Then Screwed who are eligible for the scheme said their provider if charging ‘large’ sums for sundry items. One in five said their costs are rising by more than 11 per cent. For over half, costs have risen or are about to rise by more than five per cent.
As such, a third of parents eligible for the new offer are considering leaving their job or reducing their working hours.
