Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

[TANZARELLI]

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Nurseryfeehelp/

A study by charity the Daycare Trust has stated that childcare costs have risen by 5 percent in the last year. This is more than twice the rate of inflation. As the government is calling for more women to return to work, we are calling for the government to put its money where its mouth is and make a serious and un-patronising contribution to the cost of childcare for working families by making free childcare places available for under two year olds.

Please sign up to this. :okay:

[stevokenevo]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

i have a differing opinion on this (not that i dont approve of the above), but, i would prefer to see greater financial assistance given to stay at home mums, in particular, those with babies under 2 years old.

Baby McAimee is now going on 8 months old, and Nics maternity leave is up in april.
We have just made the decision that Nic is going to stay at home and look after the baby.

1. Because we would prefer her to be with her mother in these early years instead of with a childminder/nursery

2. The cost of childcare/financial benefits of working equation doesnt add up and we would be no better off. In fact worse off as 90% of the missus wage would go to cover childcare costs. so we would still be the equivelant of a single income family.

because of my personal circumstances as a company director, we are entitled to little or no benefits, and when Nic hands in her notice we lose her working tax credits into the bargain.

So the bottom line is i will need to get my finger out and earn twice as much this year, cos nobody is going to do it for me,

phew that feels better :okay:

[Amethyst]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

I think women should be enabled to stay at home with their little ones until they are 2. SMP should be higher and for longer. I do think more assistance should be given for children to enter childcare from 2 to 3.

All my bunch of reprobates started nursery at 2 - I still didnt work as the hours were short 9.30 to 12.30 - and it cost me an absolute bomb until they hit three when a lot more of it was paid for me by the state. But I wasn't a loan parent then and got WFTC and CTC.

Stevo - you should get child tax credits when you lose WFTC. Check with the tax office.

I have just come back from an appt at the job centre, and if I gain full time employment they will cover 80% of my child care costs (but that is as a loan parent). Other stuff too not relevant to this thread.

[stevokenevo]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

Stevo - you should get child tax credits when you lose WFTC. Check with the tax office.

.

Me phone the Tax office.............. your having a giraffe!!!!!!!!!!! lol :roll::roll::roll:

[Amethyst]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

pmsl...

I just called them - got a sodding letter through telling me i have to pay back all my CTC (£992.00) and will be getting £0.00 a week from now on.

So after having absolute kittens (cause thats what I live on) she worked out it was a mistake and my husband actually owes them that £992 instead of me so that'll be fun passing the news on. Oh and I do still get my £111 a week thank goodness. Will find out on Friday when i go to collect ... if its not there there will be hell to pay.

[stevokenevo]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

your ex O/H will be chuffed :rolleyes:

[Amethyst]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

good innit

[crashbandicoot]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

Thanks for the link Tanz, have signed. Tis a subject close to a lot of parents' heart, and I understand where Ame and Stevo are coming from too.

I'm trying to stay off work for as long as I can within my mat leave but I know come around 10mths old, at a push, we'll be struggling. Then there's the question of where the heck do I parcel Zulaykha off too? Thing is, it would be lovely to be able to have a choice of staying at home if the government made it more financially viable for mothers to do so, and also to be able to find an affordable childcare solution if one wanted to go back to work.

As it is for now, I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it.

Rant over.

[argentarius]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

I won't sign, for the same reasons as some of the others have expressed. I believe that there is a lot of benefit for children in having their mothers (or fathers, for that matter) at home with them whilst they are young.

Advocates of free/subsidised nursery care go on about the benefits of socialisation etc., but the fact is that one-to-one attention from a parent is a lot better than children get at any form of nursery care. Stay-at-home parents can, and should, take their children out and ensure they are socialised, but that doesn't require the child to be bundled off to external "care".

Arguably state-subsidised childcare merely inflates the price of childcare (and hence penalises those who are not getting the subsidies) and also deflates the salaries that those receiving the subsidy are willing to accept - both of which are bad things in themselves. If what I argue is true, then the main beneficiaries of the subsidy are the childcare operators and those who employ people who would otherwise stay at home with their children.

I'm not criticising any individual's decisions about whether to stay at home with children or to work - that's up to each of us to decide. But subsidising people for NOT caring for their own children, whilst doing nothing for those who choose to care for them, seems wrong to me.

[Amethyst]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

Interesting organisation - http://www.fulltimemothers.org

[TANZARELLI]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

I think women should be enabled to stay at home with their little ones until they are 2. If they choose too yes. My daughter entered childcare at about 9 months 3 days a week, I really believe it has helped her to get one well with other children as having the contact with them earlier has done her IMHO the world of good.

Agreed that more assistance should be also made for 2-3yrs also.

[argentarius]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

But "having contact with other kids" doesn't have to mean "entering childcare". It's perfectly possible to take your 9 month old to mums & tots groups etc. without leaving them to "professionals" and without spending lots of money!

[TANZARELLI]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

Your entitled to your opinion but perhaps you would care to start a discussion thread on the pros and cons of childcare v's parental homecare.

I set this thread up for a purpose and if you choose not to agree to its purpose thats fine, however I didn't set up the thread for a debate on the issue. Anyone choosing to sign is welcome to do so here: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Nurseryfeehelp/ if they don't they don't need to sign up to it. As I have said your opinions are valid if thats what you believe however the fact is that the government is calling for more parents to return to work and the cost of childcare is imense, so I believe they should support parents who do choose to return to work by providing adequate resources to enable them to do this. You seem to be forgetting that some families won't have a choice to do anything else but return to work.

I believe debating the issue is purely detracting from the link and the purpose of that link. I am fully prepared to debate this issue with you on another thread but don't really want this thread clogged up with that debate.

[calamity jane]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

Signed to support those who have no choice.

[stevokenevo]

Re: Petition for Free Nursery Places for Under 2's

Your entitled to your opinion but perhaps you would care to start a discussion thread on the pros and cons of childcare v's parental homecare.

I set this thread up for a purpose and if you choose not to agree to its purpose thats fine, however I didn't set up the thread for a debate on the issue. Anyone choosing to sign is welcome to do so here: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Nurseryfeehelp/ if they don't they don't need to sign up to it. As I have said your opinions are valid if thats what you believe however the fact is that the government is calling for more parents to return to work and the cost of childcare is imense, so I believe they should support parents who do choose to return to work by providing adequate resources to enable them to do this. You seem to be forgetting that some families won't have a choice to do anything else but return to work.

I believe debating the issue is purely detracting from the link and the purpose of that link. I am fully prepared to debate this issue with you on another thread but don't really want this thread clogged up with that debate.

Well tanners, thats a lesson for you, next time you start a thread on which you dont want the subject debated, ask for it to be closed after the first post.

Thought you of all people would have known that :okay:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: