26-04-2025
'Nursery costs more than my salary' Parenting in Wales, where childcare is highest in UK
'Nursery costs more than my salary' Parenting in Wales, where childcare is highest in UK
"Nursery costs more than my salary after tax and pension," said one full time working mother of two. Caroline and Matt Stuart could only both afford to return to work full time because Caroline's father looks after their sons two days a week.
Eligible parents and guardians of three and four-year-old children can claim up to 30 hours of free childcare each week, for up to 48 weeks of the year.
(Image: John Myers )
Parents in Wales say they are being stopped from working full time, or getting promotions, because of the soaring cost of childcare in Wales. While the cost of childcare for under-threes in England has more than halved, prices have risen in Wales and are now the highest in the UK, according to separate surveys.
In its 24th annual childcare survey Children's charity Coram found that in England a part-time nursery place for a child under two costs an average of £70.51 per week, which is down by 56% on 2024. In contrast prices in Wales have risen 10% while in Scotland they are up 7%.
A part-time nursery place for a child under two now costs an average of £155.04 per week in Wales, a 10% increase on 2024, Coram found. Childcare costs for children aged three to four have increased by almost 5% on 2024 across the UK.
Article continues below
A separate survey by Oxfam Cymru found that childcare fees for under-twos are now more than double the average in England. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter her
Natasha Baker opened Wibli Wobli nursery in Newport in 2019
(Image: John Myers )
Nursery would be £92 a day for each child - that's more than my salary
Caroline and Matt Stuart from Lisvane have two boys aged 18 months and four. They both work full time and pay £780 a month for three days childcare with a childminder while Caroline's father takes the boys the other two.
They are eligible for and get the Wales 30 hour free childcare for their oldest, but as full time work is 37.5 hours that is all used up by lunchtime on a Friday, said Caroline.
Stuart is in sales and often travels for work while Caroline is a kitchen designer for a large company and can work sometimes from home, but also has to go in. She says they cannot afford full time childcare and are lucky her father can help, pointing out this is not an option every parent has.
The mother of two, who returned to work after 10 months with their first child and 12 with their second, said the soaring cost of childcare meant they could not have afforded her returning to work without her widowed father looking after their sons for two days a week. As it is she is barely breaking even.
"We use the cheapest options, my father two days and a childminder on the other three days as a childminder is cheaper than nursery," said Caroline.
"Nursery would be £92 a day for each child. That is more than my salary after tax and pension. Before that is taken off then I would be working for £4 a day."
Caroline said the government offer of 30 hours childcare does not work well for working parents because children have to be swapped them between maintained school and private nursery in two different settings, which means wrap around care is needed to take them between the two. In England the offer can all be used at private nurseries meaning children can stay in one place.
Added to this full time work is 37.5 hours, not 30 hours, Caroline points out. To cover the rest of her hours Caroline works evenings from home.
And despite returning to work Caroline says women are still hampered by taking maternity leave, and not all companies offer full year paternity leave.
"My pay is behind because I have taken two maternity leaves and so I am behind on promotions and pay. Also, the childcare offer is over complicated and does not even cover full time hours.
"It makes it hard for both parents to work. I want to progress in my career but this puts a hold on that for now. That's difficult to accept in this day and age."
Describing her working day Caroline said she drops her oldest at school nursery at 9am and starts work from home at 9.15am, going in later. When school nursery finishes at 11.30am she pays for wrap around to take him on to the childminder. Meanwhile the couple's younger son is with the childminder from 8am to 5.30pm.
"We can't afford to cover full time childcare. If I paid full time I would be minus £40 a day. I am doing this tio stay in a job and pay for the future and my pension," said Caroline.
The childcare offer in Wales
Eligible parents and guardians of three and four-year-old children can claim up to 30 hours of free childcare each week, for up to 48 weeks of the year.
To be eligible for the childcare offer in Wales you must live in Wales and each parent's gross income must be £100,000 or less per year.
Under the Flying Start programme those who live in eligible post codes can also get 12.5 hours free childcare to two-year-olds. The Welsh Government has said this will be rolled out to more two year-olds.
Why nursery costs have risen
Purnima Tanuku, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Cymru said: 'The single biggest reason that the cost of childcare has risen in Wales has been the funding rates for the Childcare Offer which hadn't increased since 2022, despite all nursery delivery costs rising significantly. This has led to fee increases for parents because nurseries have been making a loss on each funded place.
'The Welsh Government has taken steps to address this from next year with an increase in funding to £6.40 per hour and permanent relief from paying business rates. Providers are able to charge parents up to £10.80 for meals and snacks.
'While this is a helpful start, providers are still facing rapidly rising costs from April. Our recent poll with member nurseries across Wales showed that the average nursery is having to increase fees to parents by 12% which is still lower than the average staffing bill increase of 15%.
'As the two-year-old Flying Start offer expands, it's important that local authorities continue to work with existing childcare providers to ensure there are sufficient places available.'
The highest earners have a choice not to take the free offer
Natasha Baker, who left her job as a solicitor to open her own Welsh language nursery in Newport after having children, believes the childcare system is over complicated and flawed.
She opened Wibli Wobli nursery in 2019 and now has 120 children on the books. She said nurseries have high employment costs that people don't always realise.
The minimum ratio is one staff to three babies under two and one member of staff to four children for two to three year-olds and one to eight for three to four year-olds. That means staff costs are high and these have risen for employers with new National Insurance costs and higher minimum wage.r everyone
Natasha questioned the viability and fairness of offering free childcare for parents earning as much as up to £100,000 each: "In my opinion we have choice not to take government funded childcare," she said.
Article continues below
