Families paying for holiday clubs this summer now face bills over £1,000 to cover just six weeks of care for one child…
Coram’s Annual Survey
Most working parents need childcare at some point during the summer holidays as they do not have enough annual leave to take the full length off, and it is impractical and unaffordable for most people to be away from work for such long stretches of time.
Therefore, many families turn to holiday childcare as a necessity whilst their children are off during the six-week summer holiday.
In Coram’s 19 years of conducting their annual Holiday Childcare Survey, this year is the first time that families in Great Britain will see their childcare costs reach over £1,000 to cover the full summer holiday.
Lack of Availability
The cost isn’t the only problem, with many parents reporting that finding a childcare spot in the first place is part of the battle, especially if their children have special educational needs or disabilities.
There doesn’t seem to be enough childcare to go around, with several regions in England having no local authorities reporting enough childcare. Provision for disabled children is especially low, with only 3% of local authorities reporting enough childcare in all areas.
Expense
Like many other industries, the childcare sector has faced rising costs, with prices of food, energy and rent all impacting their income, leading to them raising the prices for parents and carers in return.
Childcare is much more expensive in the holidays than it is during term time, with a week of holiday childcare costing 2 and a half times more than an after-school club in Great Britain. And as stated earlier, many working parents and carers have little choice but to pay these costs, as they have no other way of looking after their children whilst they are at work.
The average price of holiday childcare in Great Britain is £175 per week, which is a 6% rise from 2023. In 2023, it was £157 a week (which was a 3% rise from 2022)… so it is clear to see that these costs are increasing year-on-year.
For Great Britain there was the 6% rise in holiday childcare costs and for England, a 5% rise. And if you think this is bad, wait until you hear about Wales… who saw a staggering 15% increase this year.
There are also large regional differences within England, with Yorkshire and the Humber experiencing a 13% price hike, compared to Outer London seeing a 2% decrease in price, as shown by the table below.
For six weeks of holiday childcare for one school age child, a family will pay £1,049 (£635 more than they would pay for 6 weeks of term-time childcare before and after school). This is compared to last year where it cost £943 for six weeks of holiday childcare (which was £538 more than they would pay for term-time childcare).