Press Release: New research from Pregnant Then Screwed has uncovered that 98% of parents do not support the government’s decision to increase ratios in nurseries.
The survey was completed online between 18 August and 3rd September; there were 5,141 respondents, all parents, with at least one child under 5 years and also reveals:
- 15% of parents, the top reason that they oppose a change in ratios is because they believe it will put too much pressure on the workforce.
- 38 per cent of parents, the negative impact on the quality of care is their main concern if settings increase ratios.
Lauren Fabianski, Head of Campaigns and Communications for Pregnant Then Screwed comments,
“The decision to increase ratios in nurseries shows just how out of touch the government is with childcare in Britain. This is not a solution to years of systemic underfunding. All that changing ratios will achieve is increasing stress levels in a sector that is already struggling to hire and retain its staff, and it could compromise the quality of care that children receive. We need the government to listen to parents, nursery workers and early years specialists and get childcare right.”
Just last week, the TUC released data that revealed that 95% of councils are struggling to hire childcare workers with the right skills and experience to do the job.
One parent commented, “We have had several good staff leave our son’s nursery and are told it’s very hard to recruit due to pay & working conditions. We are lucky that our nursery is looking to hire very good staff, but the turnover is concerning, and I don’t know how they are going to manage.”
Lauren Fabianski comments, “Whilst workload will be increasing, staff will continue to be paid peanuts for all of the important work they do. Make it make sense. We will continue to see talented professionals leave this profession in their droves if we do not get this right. The clock is ticking.”
One concerned parent comments, “The carers at our son’s nursery are so incredible but lately seem so stressed, and it’s heartbreaking to see. There also has been a constant turnover of staff, causing our son to be anxious and unsettled. He loves nursery but the constant changes cause him to worry. The staff say they have to leave either for mental health or because they can’t meet the costs of caring for their own family.”
If you’re pregnant, or you’ve got a child/ren under the age of 5 year’s old then please take part in Pregnant Then Screwed latest Childcare Survey