With two weeks until the roll out of the 15 hours for two-year-olds, new survey findings show a continued decline in the availability of childcare as costs rise by 7 per cent.
Coram Family and Childcare’s 23rd annual Childcare Survey reveals that just a third (34 per cent) of English councils have sufficient places for parents working full-time, a drop of 14 percentage points on 2023. Just over one in three (35 per cent) report enough childcare for under-twos, down by 14 percentage points on last year.
The findings show that it is the most disadvantaged children who are missing out, with just 6 per cent of councils reporting sufficient childcare for children with disabilities, a decrease of 12 percentage points on 2023.
There has also been a drop in the availability of childcare for parents working atypical hours and families in rural areas.
