The UK is facing a childcare crisis. We have the third-highest childcare costs in the developed world.
On average, it costs parents £263.81 per week to send children under the age of two to nursery full time. In Denmark, one parent said they pay just £250 per month for full time childcare. In Canada, one parent told me that they pay $18 per full-time day. Both country's governments subsidise the cost of running childcare to the providers.
However, in the UK, the help is very limited. Working parents can pay for tax-free childcare (for every £8, the government pays £2). In Wales, some people benefit from the Flying Start programme at the age of two (2.5 hours a day), and this is currently under expansion to be delivered to all Welsh children by the end of 2024. There is also more help once a child turns three, where you can claim 30 hours childcare, however one childcare provider told WalesOnline that this massively short-changes the nursery, as the funds they received from the government for children receiving this care, massively undercuts how much it costs to provide it.
