Childcare and Early Education
London has the highest childcare costs in the UK; the cost of 25 hours of childcare per week for children under two (for those not eligible for the working parent entitlement) is 52% higher in Inner London (£238.01) than the least expensive region, Yorkshire and the Humber (£156.15)(Coram Family and Childcare, 2026). And this burden is felt more by families in poverty who spend 16 per cent of their household net income on childcare compared to 7 per cent of household net income for those who are not in poverty (Poverty Strategy Commission, 2023).
This can mean that even despite increased support from the Government, childcare costs can still virtually wipe out the financial gains from employment. And many of the poorest families are locked out complex system of childcare support; being either ineligible for the working families offer or unable to make the figures and logistics stack up so that the alternative offers are viable either.
In 4in10’s 2024 report ‘Make Childcare Make Sense’ we set out a full series of recommendations to make childcare affordable and accessible for low income-families in London. At the heart of these is a system which decouples access to state support for early years education and childcare from work requirements. All children have an equal right to education which should not be limited by their parent’s ability to fund it or their immigration status.
Calls to action
Government must review the current childcare entitlements with a view to introducing a universal right to 30 hours of early education per week for all children, regardless of their parents' circumstances, from the age of nine months until they start school.
The Greater London Authority working with local authorities should work to promote the 15-hour funded entitlement for two-year-olds in families receiving additional support. Coram Family and Childcare’s peer-to-peer Parent Champions scheme is an effective way of doing this; we would recommend that this or similar be adopted by local government.
The Greater London Authority should consider trialing extensions of existing childcare offers to disadvantaged groups who are currently excluded, such as parents who are in training or those with no recourse to public funds.
Best Practice
Coram Family and Childcare’s peer-to-peer Parent Champions scheme has been found to be an effective way to promote the 15-hour funded entitlement for two year olds receiving additional support.
