Over the last year, 53% of private nurseries in England have hiked their prices, alongside 28% of nurseries and 25% of childminders, found a study conducted by the Department of Education (DfE). Shazia Begum, 41, owner of the Brighter Futures nursery and pre-school in Malvern, Worcestershire, is one of those providers. After the government initially promised that free childcare would save working parents up to £5,000 a year per child, the visible benefits have been hard to spot. The Conservative manifesto pledge allowed working parents to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week during term time – but only if they were working. One in seven families are spending more on childcare since the Conservatives set aside £1bn to bring this number down.
Over the last year, 53% of private nurseries in England have hiked their prices, alongside 28% of nurseries and 25% of childminders, found a study conducted by the Department of Education (DfE). After the government initially promised that free childcare would save working parents up to £5,000 a year per child, the visible benefits have been hard to spot. The Conservative manifesto pledge allowed working parents to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week during term time – but only if they were working. One in seven families are spending more on childcare since the Conservatives set aside £1bn to bring this number down.