Changes to tax credits, maternity grants and child benefit
this April and next mean that parents with 2 children will face a £1,700 cut in
income – that’s about £33 a week.
Then, last week, despite David Cameron’s pre-election
promise to “back Sure Start”, it was revealed that more than 400 Sure
Start Children’s Centres have closed since 2010.It looks as though many more
will close this year as the government’s cuts to local council finance start to
bite.
There has already been a 40 per cent cut in the budget to
train nursery staff, and more cuts are to come.
Now the government is proposing that the childcare staff:child
ratios for two-year-olds be increased from 1:4 to 1:6, while the ratio for
under-twos will rise from 1:3 to 1:4 in nurseries. The government’s own experts
have said that the plans will threaten the quality of childcare, but not reduce
costs or charges.
The government minister has been quoting the arrangements in
France with approval. However, France spends proportionately more than the UK
on childcare, and female employment is lower than in here. A recent study rated
France lower than the UK for affordability, quality and availability of
childcare. Further, standards of care in France have caused controversy with “young
children often cared for by a rotating cast of characters and institutions
within the same day.”
The vast majority of childminders have said that, if ratios
were increased, the safety of children in their care would be compromised. They
also said they would not charge parents less per hour.
When a similar plan was tried in Holland, it caused costs to
rise both to parents and taxpayers – the government bill went up by a third -
and quality fell.
It’s not surprising that just about every childcare
organisation and expert has spoken out against these proposals.
Make sure you have your say, before it’s too late.
