Childcare costs have forced parents to reduce their working hours

Research polling 2,000 mums and dads of children aged up to five found these figures rose to 45 per cent among mothers, who decided cutting down their hours at work to be at home with their child was more cost-effective.

Parents consider the benefits of a child going to nursery as the development of social skills (69 per cent), making friends (67 per cent) and building confidence (63 per cent).

The study found 71 per cent have seen an impact on their childcare arrangements due to the cost-of-living.

And despite government-funded childcare support making a financial difference, according to 77 per cent of those who have used it, 14 per cent of eligible families haven’t taken advantage of it.

The research was commissioned by Your Co-op Little Pioneers, which is offering the option to spread the cost of childcare and reduce monthly bills in a bid to help children access early years education.

Helping to spread childcare and bill costs

Sara Dunham, chief officer for the early years provider, said: “By the time a child reaches five, they have already developed 90 per cent of their brain, so these early years and experiences lay the foundations for learning, socialising and overall confidence.

“But this research shows how childcare costs are impacting families, and some to the point they are having to care for their children themselves over returning to work.

“We know from Ofsted research that children who spend longer in early years provision go on to do better in school and beyond.

"So it’s not only important for mums and dads to be able to work for their own careers but to support their children’s futures through early years education.”

The study also found 52 per cent of parents would benefit from being able to spread the cost of nursery fees – whether it be paying smaller, more regular sums or smaller sums each month over a longer period.

With Labour honouring the rollout of additional government funded childcare from September 2024 and September 2025, 39 per cent of eligible parents said they are more likely to return to work as they will be more able to cover childcare costs.  

However, the OnePoll data also revealed a fifth don’t feel the 3,000 new nursery classes outlined in Labour’s election manifesto will be enough to cover the existing demand.

Parents need more flexibility

Already, eight in 10 (83 per cent) working mums and dads are having to turn to family and friends for help with childcare, relying on their support network for two days a week, on average.

As many as 88 per cent cited the importance of returning to work, whether they’d already made the transition or plan to in the future.

Top reasons for this include the financial impact (43 per cent), a longing to interact with adults more frequently (32 per cent) and not wanting to let the career they’ve worked so hard for fall by the wayside (30 per cent).

Sara Dunham at Your Co-op Little Pioneers, which has developed a Play Now, Pay Later scheme to offer more flexibility for parents, added: “We believe all children should have access to quality early years education.

"And we know how important this is in helping the next generation achieve their true potential, including developing social skills, building confidence and language development.

“But the reality is that many parents are having to cut the amount of time their child spends in nursery and limit their own career due to the pressure the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is putting on families."