Nursery Workers to use their pay to cover the 30hr Childcare Scheme
The 30hrs childcare scheme has now started for many childcare providers, however, according to the New Economics Foundation Think Tank for nurseries to financially survive they would have to pay staff £7.33 per hour, which we know is below the minimum wage. Paying staff this hourly rate would mean childcare providers would break even. Childcare employees would not be in favour of this move as it would mean a pay cut for many-qualified staff.
Many nurseries up and down the country are having to change their fees structure and charge parents for extras, such as foods, nappies and additional activities, this means parents are now having to pay for extras when previously this may have been included in their fees.
The government is offering on average £4.27 per hour for care, this amount is short of what it actually costs to care for 3 and 4-year-olds, therefore nurseries are having to look at other options to help claw back the shortfall.
In order for childcare providers to carry on providing high-quality care, there needs to be further financial help from the government, other wise more and more providers will have to close, causing a reduction in a number of childcare places available.
It’s interesting to hear your post, James, as I’m in exactly the same situation. I used to be in IT 13 years ago and a career break means a career change now. It doesn’t matter if you’re a level 2 or level 5 – you’re all the same in one room earning the same pay packet that nobody really deserves which is embarrassing. We are helping to raise the future generation and this is the gratitude we get. Is there any hope for practitioners at all? Since this is the type of work that is highly unlikely to be automated in the future, surely there’s got to be more credit to it?
As somebody looking at moving into Nursery work after 12 years in IT its already a pay drop only justified because I would like to do a job I enjoy and as part of this I have to find a way to get Cache lvl3 , paediatric first aid, safeguarding training etc so definitely wouldn’t be something that would appeal to many people when they realise that will only be paid the same as doing another job that would not require qualifications or as much paperwork etc!
Although I think that meanwhile it would be fair probably to charge for nappies and food as something that parents would have to pay whether kids are in nursery or not and if the budget is limited and they are getting childcare mostly free with the vouchers then doesn’t seem too unreasonable but yes would be nice to see a little more value placed on training and work requirements for early years staff.
It is already impossible to live on a nursery practitioners wage, especially, if you are a single person and want to rent a house etc. The hours are long and the extra hours expected of staff even longer. Wages in the sector have barely risen since I started out 17 years ago and no amount of quals or exp has ever made a difference to the pay. If the government wants to help parents and people generally perhaps they should overhall wages and look at taxes rather than looking at subsidies that force people out of business . Most nursery practitioners are on min wage now. No one will want to work in the sector any more.