St Albans among best in UK for childcare access
Elsewhere in the country disparities are felt through lack of available places and high costs
St Albans was found one of the top places in the UK for childcare access, according to recent findings from the Office for national Statistics (ONS) and the education regulatory body Ofsted.
What the research looked at were the number of childcare places per 100 children aged 0 to 7 years, accessible from a neighbourhood, therefore taking into account the distance between a place of residence and a childcare facility.
What the study however did not factor in was the affordability of childcare, which Sarah Ronan, Director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, told us can be a large factor in ease of access.
She said: "It is much easier to secure the childcare that you need if you live in a more affluent area, and we know that St Albans falls into that category."
"Unfortunately there are parts of the country where that's not the case, and consequently, we have this huge inequality and disparity between the type of childcare that's available and and also how much it costs."
Accessible childcare can be crucial for parents, or guardians, who may need to return to work or take on work while caring for their young children.
A primary challenge for families is whether they can access suitable childcare locally, which is what the study analysed.
Despite the better access to quality childcare in St Albans, Ms Ronan pointed out that determining what qualifies as better childcare involves several factors which have to be taken into account.
She said: "Parents in St Albans have much better access to that kind of childcare than lots of other places in the country but it's because they can afford to do it."
"But just because parents in Saint Albans can afford to pay for high quality childcare doesn't mean that it's easy for them to be able to come up with that money, they're probably making sacrifices elsewhere in order to do that."
Ms Ronan also highlighted the broader impact of limited childcare availability, noting that 1.5 million children live in what she called "childcare deserts," where there are far more children than available childcare places.
This situation affects not only the children and their parents but also has wider economic implications.
Ms Ronan added: "The main things that characterise childcare for parents in England are things like cost availability, trying to find the the provision that you need, but also the hours that are flexible enough to fit in around your own job."
"Even in areas with better access families still face high costs, and we need to work on bringing those down."
Other areas with best access to childcare include Cambridge or Hart.
You can find the full findings on the ONS website.