Financial burden of childcare "catastrophic", says Co Londonderry mum

A Co Londonderry mum has described the financial burden of childcare as "catastrophic".

Laura McCallion from Eglinton has two daughters, Éabha (5 months) and Cara (3), and when she returns to full-time work in June 2024 her bill is set to cost around £1,700 pounds per month.

Laura said: “Me and my husband are trying to figure out what makes most financial sense for me when I go back to work.

"I am an accountant and I have worked professional exams and worked on professional development throughout the years.

"So, to just stop working and to take that career development away and to take that break it would be extremely hard for me to get back into the industry three, four years down the line when my youngest goes to school."

Yesterday in the Assembly chamber MLAs heard how the current financial burden of childcare means families are having to use credit cards and loans, while other providers are closing their doors.

Following the first substantive debate of the new Assembly MLAs backed a Sinn Fein motion calling on the Executive to work collectively to deliver an early learning and childcare strategy.

Education Minister, Paul Givan, said he will bring forward a paper to the Executive on Thursday.

However, he did warn that a strategy for NI could cost £400 million a year.

Mr Givan said the willingness of the Executive to fund the strategy would be the "real test of commitment".

He said: "However, make no mistake about my ambition for this strategy and my ambition to make the case for the funding required to deliver progress as a matter of urgency.

"I will drive forward this childcare strategy. But be under no illusion as to the scale of the funding that will be needed to make this a reality."

He also said he would look at strategies in other regions.

Currently, there is no scheme in place for free childcare in NI unlike in England where 30 hours of free childcare a week is offered.

However, Laura thinks that NI needs to have a specific approach for the region.

She said: “They need to look at what the sector needs in terms of safe guarding out children and providing that space for them while easing the financial burden on the parents as well.

“There needs to be a reform in terms of not only daycare cost or daycare facilities but also early education in terms of nursey and playschool fees.

"My child is ready for nursey in September, but that is only from nine to half twelve every day.

So, I still have need to pay full time fees for her for wrap around care.

“Everyone is on the breadline as it is with inflation and the cost-of-living crisis and to add this extra burden to families who are just making ends meet.”

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