Affordable Childcare

[Chatterbox Childcare]

The next round in parliament is this Wednesday

Speakers are:

October 201410:30 AM


Affordable Childcare
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Witness(es): (at 10.35am) evidence will be heard from Liz Bayram, Chief Executive, Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) and Ben Thomas, National Officer (Early Years Education), UNISON and (at approximately 11.15am) from Valentine Mulholland, Policy Adviser, National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and Sarah Bagshaw, School Business Manager, St Bede Academy, Bolton


Affordable Childcare Committee - UK Parliament

[Smiley]

Thanks for that

[Simona]

Everyone is going to give evidence...except those who matter?...providers who subsidise childcare twice via the tax system and again by being paid a pittance by the LAs...that is you and I...the practitioners/providers also called the frontline?

I wonder what St Bede's contribution will be to More Affordable Childcare?

[bunyip]

Hear, hear.

Every time I hear the words "affordable childcare", I tell myself I can only afford to work 60+ hours, 6 days a week for less than minimum wage because I can live without all the stuff, holidays, lifestyle, aspirations, etc. enjoyed by the people who moan about the cost of childcare.

[Simona]

Hear, hear.

Every time I hear the words "affordable childcare", I tell myself I can only afford to work 60+ hours, 6 days a week for less than minimum wage because I can live without all the stuff, holidays, lifestyle, aspirations, etc. enjoyed by the people who moan about the cost of childcare.

The question is : Affordable to whom?

It appears to me that parents get as much help as possible towards our 'very high unreasonable fees'...via Tax credits, c/vouchers and the new Tax free childcare in 2015...there is no such thing as 'free childcare' and someone has to subsidise it....too many parents believe the subsidy only comes from the govt
In the meantime those who provide childcare have little benefits and mortgages to pay and families to feed....and will benefit from 53 pence in the EY Pupil premium....WOW!!!

Really it gets to me now...incidentally Ben Thomas of Unison...represents the sector that is 'employed' and therefore on low wages because the employers...providers such as nurseries and preschools cannot pay a decent wage to them because they have to subsidise free childcare in the 1st place.
As 'self employed' cms do not come under his radar...at a conference last year I put this question to Ben 'Do you think the funding is too low'...'yes' and the issue has not moved an inch

Sorry about the politics but there is no divide now between childcare and politics.

We need a revolution