Fears parents in Lancashire quitting work to look after their children
New research shows 1 in 4 working parents can't afford childcare
The cost of childcare is forcing one in four UK parents to give up their job.
Shocking new research found 23% of UK-based parents had either quit work or dropped out of their studies to avoid childcare costs.
Some 74% of parents in the UK said they find it difficult to meet childcare costs.
Sixty-five percent of UK parents questioned said they have had to make major financial changes, including taking on more work and spending less on food, in order to afford childcare.
Some 22% said they spend between 30% and 70% of their income on childcare.
Theirworld, who carried out the study is led by Sarah Jane Brown, the wife of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said children from wealthier and educated backgrounds tend to begin primary school ready to learn, but there are nearly 250 million children in low- and middle-income countries who are at risk of not reaching their full development potential due to poverty, inadequate nutrition, exposure to stress, and a lack of early stimulation and learning.
The charity noted that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made childcare a central part of his Budget, providing an extra £4 billion over three years.
He also announced that in all eligible households in England every child under five will receive 30 hours a week of free childcare from the moment maternity leave ends.
However, critics have pointed out that this will not be in place until September 2025.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, appearing before the Commons Liaison Committee last month, denied that the childcare system is in crisis.
He said:
"I think that announcements in the Budget were warmly welcomed by the childcare sector for what they're going to do, which is to increase the funding for childcare as it is now, but also expand the provision to cover some of the gaps in the existing system and move us into a internationally quite generous position relative to our peers on childcare."