At one Scottish nursery, a new mother was so anxious she presented staff with a spreadsheet detailing how the care of her child should be carried out – right down to the correct amount of food per spoonful. The owner of the nursery, who wants to remain anonymous, says, ‘The senior room leader has been totally stressed about it.’
Sadly, many practitioners are reporting increases in the number of stressed and anxious parents. Many parents are struggling under the burden of rising living costs, stagnant wages and high costs of childcare: a million children under five live in poverty in the UK, childcare can cost nearly half an average salary and, according to charity Gingerbread, half of single parents in London have to borrow money to pay for childcare.
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