Su-Min Lee’s Post

In their recent Spotlight on Childcare article, authors Leslie McGranahan and Dan Hartley analyze how household income impacts childcare arrangements and costs. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4eq06eP

Our Deputy Chair, Resham Kotecha and Edward Davies from The Centre for Social Justice, explore the crucial role of childcare, family support and early years development in shaping social mobility outcomes across the UK. They discuss: 🔵 The current state of childcare provision in the UK 🔵 Critical lessons learned from Sure Start centres and Family Hubs 🔵 The often overlooked importance of non-paid childcare support 🔵 Geographic disparities in childcare access and quality 🔵 How to measure and improve the qualitative aspects of childcare services Watch the full episode: https://lnkd.in/ePGPEjX5

Will this be the year things will turn around for childcare? Unfortunately, I don't think so......not driven by the government at least. The problems have repeatedly been covered by the likes of Coram Family and Childcare with their annual survey (check out 2024's below) and Pregnant Then Screwed bringing a speakerphone to the problem making sure it's heard loud and clear. Yet the solutions in response don't go deep or wide enough. I speak to parents every week who are frustrated and overwhelmed by the status quo, having to find workarounds and create their own solutions. But they are also some of the most resilient people I've met, especially in the face of such pressures, who ultimately just want to get on with life. It's why I love to see the market doing what I think it does best, with incredible teams of people working to solve problems in new ways all along the value chain, companies such as Bubble Koru Kids CocoRio Raise Kinsail tiney PonchoPay Pebble and in time Grove. It's easy to look at this problem space and see it as a parents' problem, or see it as a mothers' problem but what drives me is the fact that it's a problem - period. That's it. Just a fundamental belief that this problem should not exist. I'm looking forward to seeing the above, and the many more who I'm probably unaware of continue the fight towards a better future (I'm sure there are tonnes more so please tag those you know in the comments) https://lnkd.in/e-hRBbVg

🚨 Parents to save thousands in childcare cost with new funding! The initial phase of the largest-ever expansion in childcare has begun, providing a lifeline to thousands of working parents with two-year-olds. As of April 1st, eligible parents can now access 15 hours a week of government-funded childcare. This rollout marks a significant step in the government's commitment to supporting families, aiming to alleviate the financial burden and empower parents to balance both work and family life. Over 150,000 children are set to benefit immediately, with the complete rollout expected to extend to 30 hours by September 2025, offering substantial annual savings of up to £6900 per family. All parents are being encouraged to check their eligibility at https://lnkd.in/erVTmvxP for the September phase of the rollout, and to act now to secure their place for September if they have a preferred provider. #childcarechoices #funding #childcareexpansion SMART Education Recruitment Fiona Moss Francesca Sandiford Pippa Lee Graham Kelly Sarah Satchwell Joanne Prince Sarah Satchwell Phoebe Thompson Elaine Woodward Deborah Mclean Hema K. Faisa Abdi Nico Sidhu

This comprehensive report on childcare shows a drop in childcare places and high increases in childcare costs. It is interesting that they have included the extra costs for parents who access 'free childcare' - this is a particular barrier for lower income parents. It is stark to see the lack of sufficiency of childcare for children with disabilities.

Recent data reveals that in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, childcare costs are placing a severe burden on families, often exceeding the cost of rent. On average, childcare for two kids costs $2,182 per month, while the average two-bedroom rent is $1,566 per month. With childcare costing an average of 39% more than rent, it can be inaccessible for low-income families. High childcare and housing costs are putting increasing pressure on families with limited resources. Read more from CBS 42 here: https://bit.ly/4gIL9p7

Cradles in the conference room? That’s not quite what employer-sponsored childcare means, but it is a popular benefit — and states are starting to take notice. 👶🏼 👀 Offering tax incentives and cost-sharing programs are great ways to help working parents who need support in managing and affording childcare situations. Check out what some states are doing to close the childcare gap. 

The landmark research, 'International childcare: Mapping the deserts,' conducted a comprehensive analysis of childcare availability for 10 million children across nine countries, including England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia, France, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands. This pioneering study was the first of its kind to investigate how countries implement childcare policies and their resulting effects. https://buff.ly/3Y7mFig #Childcare #EarlyYears

Cradles in the conference room? That’s not quite what employer-sponsored childcare means, but it is a popular benefit — and states are starting to take notice. 👶🏼 👀 Offering tax incentives and cost-sharing programs are great ways to help working parents who need support in managing and affording childcare situations. Check out what some states are doing to close the childcare gap. 

Based on revised funding rates released by the Department for Education, we calculated that the funding for expanded childcare falls £5 billion short of the estimated costs by 2025/26. A new #ChildcareSurvey2024, released today, found that the availability of childcare for young children has continued to fall across England. Although there has been an increase in the funding rates over the last year, this is still far from what is needed to cover the real provision costs. It's clear that the Government needs to do more to ensure early education and childcare is more accessible and affordable for all. Read more about the new childcare survey here: https://lnkd.in/dZajqgnr