As a working mother, both before and since becoming an MP, I have my own experiences of the heart-wrenching stresses and pressures of getting the right childcare, and the need for support with its enormous costs.
So it was no surprise to me when Grazia, The Juggle and Pregnant Then Screwed's petition calling for an independent review of childcare funding reached the 100,000 signatures required to trigger a debate in Parliament. I’m honoured to be leading that debate as Chair of the Petitions Committee. Unfortunately, the Government has already ruled out holding a review in its formal response.
Ministers shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss petitioners’ concerns. The cost of childcare has risen three times faster than earnings since 2008 and, in response to a questionnaire conducted by the Petitions Committee earlier this year, 77% of the parents we surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that cost had prevented them from getting the kind of childcare they needed. Funding for the free entitlements hasn’t being maintained in recent years, and with parents and providers struggling, it’s becoming a big political issue.
Childcare is as necessary for parents to get to work as the roads and rail network, yet do we approach it, and fund it, as the vital infrastructure investment that it clearly should be? An independent review would be the perfect opportunity to really think through what we want our childcare and early years sector to be, and how we should fund it.
There are so many blatantly obvious, yet inadequately recognised, economic and social benefits from supporting high quality early education.
First, the early years are crucial for social and educational development, since so many important life outcomes - health, wealth and wellbeing – have their origins in our earliest experiences. There’s also clear evidence that these benefits are greatest for children from disadvantaged families, putting them on a much-needed more equal footing when they start school.
Second, access to childcare is crucial for helping parents return to work. This has a huge impact on the gender pay gap because, let’s be honest, it is still by and large women who take on most of the responsibility for childcare. Sadly, we know that, on average, a woman who takes time out from work to look after their children will never earn as much as an equivalent woman who doesn’t.
Finally, childcare in the UK is very expensive, and help with costs is one of the best ways Government can ensure families with young children, particularly those on low incomes, aren’t financially crippled by childcare costs.
So, to get this right, we need to consider how we can get the balance right across these three key areas, and how much emphasis we put on each of them.
Should the state’s role be restricted to providing the minimum funding needed to cover – or just about cover – basic childcare costs so that parents can return to work? That means stressed-out staff looking after the maximum number of children they’re legally allowed, potentially higher costs for parents, and providers forced to offer the cheapest possible model of care.
Or are the benefits of a more generous, Scandinavian style childcare and early education system worth it, if it can tackle the scandalous gender pay gap, help children from disadvantaged backgrounds and - in the long-run – reduce other social problems like poor mental health and unemployment?
The sad fact is the Government isn’t even asking these questions. So, in Parliament, I’ll be voicing the call of petitioners for an independent review that can explore the fundamental question of funding. One that sets out a clear vision for our children as well as our undervalued and underpaid early years workforce, and ensures that parents are not left having to choose between their child and their career due to lack of affordable childcare.
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