Many low-income families have to pay to return to work and childcare market is ‘on brink of collapse’
Tens of thousands of low-income families in England have to pay to return to work after having children because childcare provision discourages work, according to a report.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has called for a government-funded universal preschool childcare starting immediately after parental leave to replace an “incomplete patchwork” of childcare provision.
Children in low-income households receive worse care than those in wealthier households
Workers leave the workforce because of the gap in childcare funding after the end of parental leave
Upfront childcare costs for parents on universal credit, even if later reimbursed, stop low-earners returning to work
A lack of affordable “wraparound” care is stretching family budgets to “breaking point”
