Holiday childcare costs: ‘It’s not worth going to work’

For Tara Newbold, the costs of holiday childcare for her two sons are so high that she cannot afford to work full-time.

"It's not worth going to work," she says. "I would be paying to work."

It comes as new research by charity Coram shows holiday childcare costs have risen by 5% in the past year.

The government says it has spent more than £4bn in each of the past five years to support families with childcare costs.

Ms Newbold, from Nottingham, works part-time on Mondays to Wednesdays as a sales administrator and so needs holiday childcare on those days.

She says she cannot work full-time because the cost of full-time holiday care is so excessive that she would be paying to work.

And while there are charities offering free childcare, she says it is not practical for parents who work a full day.

"There's nothing that caters for a full day, like you'd get while the kids are at school," she says.

Her sons, aged five and eight, are currently attending a sports camp on Mondays, which costs £40 per child. On the other two days, she relies on family and friends to look after the children while she works.

"It's a logistical nightmare. I'm lucky that I have family who help out so that reduces costs, but it feels it's not worth going to work, because of how much you have to pay out on childcare."

Ms Newbold and her husband, who works full-time in health and safety, say the costs of holiday childcare are yet another burden on top of soaring petrol and food bills.

New research from childcare charity Coram finds that amid the cost-of-living crisis, holiday childcare costs have risen by 5% in the last year and childcare over the summer costs more than double what parents pay during term time.

Parents across Britain face paying around £148 per week typically for holiday childcare, Coram said.

It means six weeks' worth of holiday childcare could cost working parents nearly £890 on average, for each school age child.

In contrast, six weeks of term time childcare would cost around £400 on average, the report suggests.

While the two are not directly comparable, as parents are paying for more hours during the holidays, the sharp rise in costs outside of term time will only add to pressures on household budgets.

The report is based on surveys from local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, which were returned between April and June. It provides detail on childcare costs for children aged four to 14.

The childcare provision covered by the study includes holiday clubs registered with an official regulator, those run by local authorities, and clubs managed by the private, voluntary and independent sector. It does not include childminders, informal childcare arrangements and holiday camps.

For parents of disabled children, or those working atypical hours, or living in rural areas, childcare availability can also be patchy, the report suggests.

"Many parents, particularly mothers, will have no choice but be locked out of work altogether or struggle to pay for basic necessities such as food or rent," said Ellen Broome, managing director of Coram Family and Childcare.

Ms Broome says that holiday childcare is "key economic infrastructure", and warned: "The lack of childcare places for working parents is a serious problem - not just for families but for the country's economic output.

"Children have experienced such disruption throughout the pandemic and holiday childcare offers them a safe and fun space to stay active and connect with their friends while also helping to tackle the summer learning loss."

A government spokesperson said: "We have spent more than £4bn in each of the past five years to support families with the cost of childcare and have set out plans to help providers run their businesses more flexibly.

"Thousands of children from low-income families all over England are benefiting from our Holiday Activities and Food programme during the long school holidays, backed by £200m a year over the next three years."