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by Jess Gibson

A third of parents have quit their job or considered quitting in the past twelve months due to cost of early education and childcare, new research from the Early Education and Childcare Coalition has revealed. 

The polling, undertaken by More in Common for the Early Education and Childcare Coalition (EECC), found that continued high early years fees have led to 15% of parents with a child under five to quit their job in the last 12 months, while a further 20% have considered doing so. 

Meanwhile, one in three (32%) parents polled have had to borrow money from loved ones or taken out a credit card or loan, while one in five (22%) have had to cut back on food shopping as a result of fees increasing in the last 12 months.  

The coalition is therefore calling on the government to urgently review funding levels, which the EECC says are “failing to keep up with rising costs in the sector”.   

Sarah Ronan, director of the EECC, said: "From September, the government will be purchasing 80% of childcare in England, yet it continues to pay providers less than it costs to deliver those hours. If providers are to stay open, they have to pass on that shortfall to parents with fee increases. The reality is that continued underfunding is pushing up costs for parents, holding down wages in the sector, and driving staff shortages. We’re hearing from providers who are scaling back, turning away funded places, or even considering closure because the numbers just don’t add up.   

“At the moment, it feels like the government is giving to parents with one hand and taking with the other. The government’s focus on early years is the right one, but if it is serious about putting money back in the pockets of working families and supporting children to thrive, it must properly fund the sector and urgently review a broken model that fails to reflect real costs."