Summer holiday childcare costs a 'struggle'

Parents in Guernsey said they have had to adjust their working hours or take extended periods of leave in order to afford childcare costs in the summer holidays.

A recent report found summer holiday clubs, which cover Britain’s six-week school break, cost parents an average of £1,076 per child.

Some families said summer clubs charged more per week than what they earn and the system was “not working”.

Economic Development President, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, said holidays were “extremely challenging” for parents and added the government could look at tax free allowances and holiday activity provider vouchers.

Euginia Nobrega works night shifts and one day at the weekend to manage childcare during the summer holidays.

Euginia said: “I can put [my son] in the sports commission which he goes to for two mornings a week.

“That’s the cheapest club but unfortunately it’s just three hours and I need to sleep and it’s not enough but at least it gives me a little break.

“Without the night shifts I probably wouldn’t be able to afford childcare all summer because my husband works during the day so we work opposite so there’s always someone at home to look after him.”

Celia Belo, who has two children, said she reduced her work hours in the summer holidays.

She said she picked up extra hours during term time and at weekends when her husband could look after the children.

“When you look now for some clubs, what they’re charging is probably more what some people are earning a week,” she said.

“The system is not working at the moment for working parents.”

Claire Packman said she worked 30 hours a week and fit her hours around school drop off and pick up times.

She said it had been a struggle to balance childcare and work in the summer holidays.

“I can’t afford to necessarily work so much and then pay for these clubs it all adds up.

“I do think there’s more the States could do, what that is I don’t know.

“It’s not an easy answer, it’s no easy fix but it’d be nice to know that they’re looking at something because as a working parent it is a struggle.”

Morag Martin, a primary school teacher in the UK who regularly visits family in the Channel Islands, said a four-week summer holiday could be less of a financial cost.

“I think it’s much better for the children [to have four weeks], much better for parents and use the other two weeks or three weeks and put them in the other points of the year and I think it would be better for families.”

There has also been reports of an increase of grandparents helping to cover childcare costs.

Julie is a grandmother to two – one of whom has special educational needs – and took the week off work in order to help with summer holiday childcare.

“There is 12 weeks of school holiday, when you look at it for the whole year.

“It’s just impossible to work a full time job and manage childcare.

Emily [her grandchild] has special needs so she can’t go to a kids club or anything so it’s down to family.”

Kazantseva-Miller said one of the issues was the government did not provide support during summer holidays for parents.

“When you face a six week or longer breaks in this peak period of time I think it is extremely challenging for parents to manage both,” she said.

She said the States could look at a number of ideas to address the shortfall in support for parents over the summer break.

These included potential fora tax free allowance, holiday activity provider vouchers and working with employers to co-fund support.

A lack of support available for parents with children with additional needs in the summer was also a problem, she said.

“I know that the community is trying to establish some trials for holiday schemes for children with additional needs.

“I hope the States and my colleagues at the Committee for Health could especially support those kinds of trials and initiatives that are being driven by the community. This is a particularly sensitive area where I think children and families need additional support.”