Childcare costs ? the latest figures

By The Daycare Trust

Childcare costs have spiralled to £6000 a year per child. The Daycare Trust surveys the field

A typical full-time nursery place for a two-year-old now costs over £110 a week – more than £5,700 a year. When the last survey was carried out in 1997, a typical nursery place cost £80 per week. The increase means that childcare accounts for a bigger share of the family income than housing or food. In London and the southeast the situation is worse, with the cost of a typical nursery place now £135 a week (over £7000 a year). In some areas, it’s much worse.

These are the findings of a national survey published by Daycare Trust. Parents on lower incomes can’t afford the cost of a typical nursery place, which now exceeds the childcare tax credit ceiling of £70.00 per week. Costs for a childminder, for many parents the more flexible and affordable option, are also out of range. To look after a two-year-old, childminders charge, on average, almost £90 a week – still over £4,500 a year.

Regional costs for childcare in England, 2001:

Typical weekly costs for a two-year-old in a full-time childcare place

Area
Nursery
Childminder

INNER LONDON
134.86
109.61

OUTER LONDON
130.19
103.53

SOUTH-WEST
115.00
90.00

SOUTH-EAST
121.20
98.97

EAST ANGLIA
113.00
89.80

WEST

MIDLANDS
100.66
80.62

EAST

MIDLANDS
99.71
81.42

YORKS &