18 July 2023 , 11:03
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Childcare costs for a single child are reaching as high as £1,000 on average this summer - so what are the other options for parents?
Recent research by the charity Coram Family and Childcare revealed a British family will pay on average £943 for six weeks of holiday childcare for a school-age child.
This is a 3% increase in the cost last year.
With schools breaking up for summer at the end of this month, many parents are already worrying about the costs.
This is because it's unlikely parents will have enough annual leave entitlement to cover the full six weeks and with most state schools closed, many people have no other choice but to fork out for extra childcare.
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So what options have parents got? The Mirror has put together a few options people may have and could check out if they need childcare this week.
Flexible working or unpaid leave
If you are unable to take time off work, you could ask your employer for a flexible work schedule.
All employees have a right to ask for it and if granted you could change your working hours which could allow you to save some money on childcare costs or you could work from home.
Although not ideal, this would allow you to look after your children throughout the working day.
This was something the majority of families did during the Covid-19 pandemic when the nationwide lockdown closed offices and made many people work from home.
It could also be something you could pick up again during the summer months.
Unpaid leave is not ideal as you are losing pay whilst you take time off.
However, with the cost of childcare skyrocketing many Brits would likely pay more in childcare through the holidays than they would earn at work so it could be a short-term solution for some parents and guardians.
'Free' childcare for three or four-year-olds
Before you pay for any childcare, check if you can get up to 30 hours free each week.
The Government offers parents 30 hours a week of free childcare that allows three and four-year-olds from eligible families in England to get government-funded care and education across 38 weeks of the year.
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Nurseries, childminders and pre-schools are expected to provide the majority of the 30 hours free childcare but out-of-school clubs are also eligible so long as they are registered on the Early Years Register.
However, according to the Out of School Alliance, this is entirely optional so many out of school childcare providers may not offer it.
To get it, simply ask your local nursery or childcare provider if it has space.
If you do want to participate in this, your local authority must first approve the childcare setting and will usually expect it to have an Ofsted rating of at least "good".
Use tax-free childcare to reduce costs
The Government has estimated that around 1.3million families could be missing out on tax-free childcare support - so it's worth checking if you're eligible.
Childcare support is available through the Government's tax-free childcare scheme.
The scheme allows parents to pay for childcare into an online account, and the Government will then add a certain amount extra on top.
For example, for every £8 you pay into your online account, you'll get a free £2 added on by the Government.
If you’re eligible, you can get up to £500 every three months - up to £2,000 a year - for each of your children.
For disabled children, the maximum amount you could get rises to £4,000.
This money - which is added directly into the account - must then be spent on a registered childcare provider, such as nurseries, nannies, after-school clubs and play schemes.
You can apply for the tax-free childcare scheme through the Gov.uk website.
Under the current rules, you need to be earning at least the minimum wage, for the equivalent of 16 hours a week - the same goes for your partner if you have one.
Both you and your partner will also have to earn less than £100,000 a year to qualify for the scheme, and you cannot have two accounts for the same child.
Childcare support whilst claiming benefits
If you are claiming certain benefits, you may be entitled to childcare support - although this does depend on what benefits you claim.
If you are claiming Universal Credit and working you may be able to claim up to 85% of your childcare costs.
Parents can claim back £951 for one child and £1,630 for two or more children.
If you're claiming tax credits you can get help with up to 70% of your childcare costs - the maximum you can get for one child is up to £530 a month and for two children or more it's £910.
Find out what local support is available
It’s definitely worth checking out your local council’s website - or asking them directly - about what subsidised or free activities they are running during the school holidays.
For the last few years, local authorities have been given funding by the Department for Education to coordinate Holiday activities and food programmes for children up to the age of 16 years.
Councils either provide the clubs themselves or work with local providers to deliver clubs offering activities such as arts, sports, drama and music.