Parents pick up the tab
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 & HUMBER | 102.36 | 85.64 |
| NORTH-WEST | 97.35 | 73.44 |
| NORTH EAST | 90.62 | 75.72 |
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