To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide financial support to (1) parents, and (2) charities, facing high childcare fees.
Answered on
6 January 2023
For families with younger children, childcare costs are often a significant part of their household expenditure, which is why improving the affordability and availability of childcare is important for this government. The department has spent £20 billion over the last five years supporting families with the cost of childcare. This includes over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on early education entitlements. That is thousands of parents benefitting from government childcare support.
In July, we announced measures to reduce the costs and bureaucracy facing providers and ensure families can access government support to save them money on their childcare bills. This included the launch of a £1.2 million communications campaign via the childcare choices website to ensure every parent knows about the government funded support they are eligible for: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
We are also investing over £200 million a year in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides enriching activities and healthy meals for disadvantaged children during school holidays.
The department continues to work across government, looking at ways to make childcare more affordable and accessible to ensure that families benefit from the government-funded support they are entitled to.