Financial News
- 19 June 2012, 15:04
Longer School Day Could Cut Childcare Costs
Schools could stay open until 8pm under plans being considered to help working parents cope with childcare costs.
The Government is launching a commission on childcare which will look at how to bring down the cost to parents and increase the supply of places.
Childcare is now one of the top cost-of-living burdens on families. A recent Daycare Trust report suggested part-time care for an under-two now costs more than £5,000 a year - with prices up to three times that level in London.
With the rising childcare costs outstripping wage increases, some parents may be forced out of work, the Trust warned.
The new commission, led by education minister Sarah Teather and work and pensions minister Maria Miller, will look at ways of driving down costs by reducing the burden of red-tape on providers.
It will also explore schemes to provide "wrap-around care" for over-fives at the beginning and end of the school day and during the holidays.
Schemes already being tried in the UK include the Free School Norwich, which offers on-site childcare six days per week, 51 weeks of the year; or the Mossbourne Academy in Hackney which operates a longer schoolday, with some children remaining on site until 8pm.
Prime Minister David Cameron says: "Working parents want to know that after school or in the holidays their children will be looked after in a safe, happy environment that is affordable.
"We want to do all we can to reduce the cost of childcare for parents, and make sure they can find and afford high quality nurseries, after-school clubs and holiday schemes for their children."
Mr Cameron wants the commission to look at international examples to see what the UK can learn from different models of childcare support.
what do you think?
Kimberley Lamb
As a registered childcare provider . When would these poor children see their families ? I have worked in wrap around care and left because the children are treated like baggage and moved around the school for trump ten hours a day and all the children want to do it in home and relax and play with their own toys etc and I am not talking older children., these are 3 year olds . A sad reflection of today's family life and now they want to add on another two hours a day ? ? ? So sad
Fleur Black
longer school hours would be impossible due to cost of childcare, inability to get kids ot stay late when their parents are desperate to get couch potatoing, teachers are stressed enough from trying to deal with brain dead kids. what is needed is a cultural change of getting rid of all th addictive crap soaps especially Coronation Street, Eastenders etc
Pete Maidment
has any one asked the teachers and staff who work at schools how they feel about this,,,or is it the goverment just doing it anyway
Neil Foster
It's about time the whole system needs looking at school opening hours are not helpful to people who work same with the holidays
EQINOX187 .
Yes it might cut child care costs but who will pay for this? Schools are underfunded as it is so yes we will with yet more taxes. Give with one hand only to then take away with the other comes to mind.
John Byrne
So they want more affordable childcare that's safe. In the same article they mention cutting red tape.. Which means no CRB and less health and safety. How will possibility allowing convicted child abusers to get jobs in buildings that fail to meet safety standards help? In another article it calls for nursery staff to have At least 2 A levels, how's that going to reduce costs? Keeping schools open till 8pm, how's that going to help bring down costs as we will all have to pay for extra staff anyway. How will allowing kids to be left in school until very late at night help family life? More ideas that have not been thought through by these idiots.
karen henry
If you have to leave your child at school till 8pm then you shouldn't have them!! What a stupid idea. Parents, especially mothers should choose between having children or a career, you can't have both. No wonder we have kids who don't know what family life is like!!!
Mike Eaton
Another harebrained half thought out goverment scheme - or is it the media? Bit of both probably! Two things - don't we have enough problems with children that have been ignored by their parents (who don't really want them) - gang culture is rife and this will only increase it! the other - if Camerone is so worried about if parents can "afford it" why not pay the father a decent wage so the mother can afford to stay at home and look after the children properly with love and care and attention - like it used to be! aw well nice thought - but it will never happen!
aa aa
That'll be another massive pay rise for our over worked and under holidayed teachers , then.
john
Why not put these children into the care of chimney sweeps and learn them a useless skill? Only joking, but I bet Cameron and chums would consider it a jolly good idea.
jimmyjedi1979
We are becoming drones, like army ants. Work work work work work work! We Will look after your kids now work work work work! What kind of sick world are we living in?
Allan Evans
1) If you can't afford it on one wage then don't have children. After all you see very little of them anyway. 2) Dave, who will be looking after the teacher's children during these extra hours???? Yet another quick headline based on minimal thought and consultation! Methinks another U-Turn is on the cards.
Allan Evans
Ive just had another though Dave. Juvenile crime and disorder is on the increase. Children have no respect for people or property. Children always bleat "But we haven't got anything to do". There has been a massive increase in both parents working and leaving their children un- supervised. Could ther be a connection???????
Kathleen Matthews
why have children ,when all you do with them is stick them in some school club.when do the family's of today have time for they kid's.i think that children have become just a fashion item to some sort of people
Jacqui Morrison
Agree totally, we are in the middle of a resession and yet they want to throw millions at this, which is basically saying, "right, you both go and earn a fortune and don't worry about shelling out for Childcare, the Taxpayer will look after your children!" my local school has had to cut their breakfast club and after hours play as they cannot afford it out of their budget with all the cuts, so how come the Govt. suddenly has a small fortune available to allow greedy people who wont take a cut in their living standards like the rest of us, to fund this? what happened to Grandparents looking after the kids? totally stupid idea, if you have to work til 8 pm then you need to get your priorities right, reduce your hours and spend quality time with your children.
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Alf Bibby
Has the Coalition government no shame
Dennis Radke
Keeping the children in school longer will prepare them for their eventual "work til you drop" career or until they are eligible for a pension if they should live that long. How very wonderful for the government.
Michael Mcardle
yet another blunder by this incompetant disaster by this joke of a government. sometimes i wonder if this shower go out of their way to get peoples backs up.another generation of kids alienated from their parents and more importantly family values. put them in creches etc forget about them.the children grow up feeling unloved and unwanted. hence grow up with a whole bunch of issues. like previous comments state if you cant be there to care for your child. if you cant be there bfor them as they grow dont have them. its selfish and not fair to the child
Rhys Sage
4:21am on 19/6/2012
When I was growing up, school went until 4:30 or 5:00 then they cut it to 3:20 when they extended education from 14 to 16 then to 18. Essentially they cut the day so they could stretch what they taught into more years. I think children should get used to an adult day. By the time they get home they'll be too tired to cause chaos in the streets.
Louise Smith
12:41pm on 19/6/2012
I'm with you on this one Rhys, The school day has been cut so drastically since we were kids. I object to having to pay for other people kids through my taxes..... Perhaps folk should be more responible and not have kids if they can not afford them,
Mark Wood
7:22pm on 19/6/2012
But Louise, how do you know if you can afford them?? If you are made redundant when you already have young children, you can't really send them back again can you?! Equally - noone really foresaw the econmoic meltdown we've just experienced. Who knows what's 10/15 years down the line?