Findings from Coram Family and Childcare’s 18th annual Holiday Childcare Survey reveal:
- Under a quarter (24 per cent) of local authorities have enough holiday childcare for parents working full-time, a decrease of 2 per cent on 2022.
- Just 23 per cent of local authorities have enough holiday childcare for children aged 8-11, a 7 per cent decrease on last year.
- Availability of holiday childcare for disabled children has also continued to fall, with just 5 per cent of local authorities reporting they have enough to meet local demand. This is down from 7 per cent last year.
The findings are drawn from responses from local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, between April and June 2023 on the cost and availability of childcare in Britain for children aged 4-14 during the 13 weeks of school holidays.
Cost of a place
According to the survey, the cost of a summer holiday childcare place has also risen. A place at a club now costs an average of £157 per week, 2.3 times higher than what parents pay for an after-school club during term-time.
It says this means that families face costs of £943 for six weeks of holiday childcare for each school age child – £583 more than they would pay for six weeks of after-school childcare during term-time.
The findings also show there are ‘significant’ differences in the cost and availability of holiday childcare depending on where families live, with parents in inner London paying up to 25 per cent more for places than those in the East of England, £177 per week compared to £142.
More support needed
While additional funding to support the development and extension of wrap-a-round childcare was announced by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget, Coram Family and Childcare point out that the money is for term-time childcare, rather than year-round. The charity wants the funding to be increased and extended to cover childcare during school holidays.
It is also calling on the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments to:
- Increase support for Family Information Servicesto provide good quality holiday childcare information and broker access to local provision that meets families’ needs.
- Expand provision of school holiday activity and food programmes, prioritising children with SEND.
- Improve the accessibility of holiday childcare for children with SEND through providing funding, training and support to holiday childcare providers.
‘Starting school doesn’t mean that childcare needs end.'
Megan Jarvie, head of Coram Family and Childcare, said, ‘The high of cost of holiday childcare is going to put a further strain on families’ already stretched budgets. Even if families are able to afford these costs, many will struggle to find a place as we have found shortages right across the country.
‘Starting school doesn’t mean that childcare needs end. Instead, many find that it becomes more challenging to find options that are right for their family, particularly during the long school holidays. ‘New Government funding to help improve childcare options during term time is welcome – but families need childcare right through the year.’