Your Voice Your Vote: ‘My career is on hold due to childcare problems’

Since April, eligible working parents with two-year-olds have been able to claim 15 free hours of childcare per week, thereby extending a free hours scheme that was already in place for three and four-year-olds.

From September 2025, these parents will be able to claim 30 free hours for children from the age of nine months until they start school.

Ms Graham had to turn down a job at a nursery last year due to childcare costs. Now that her daughter is eligible for some free care, she will start attending a pre-school – although a five-month waiting list means she can only start in September.

Ms Graham hopes she can then gradually return to her profession, but she is worried that her family will still struggle financially because her wages as a nursery worker will be low and the free hours are only available during school terms.

“Whatever I earn on minimum wage, most of it’s gonna go to nursery fees,” said Ms Graham, whose partner works as a mortgage arrears advisor.

More than 1 in 5 parents (22%) who were eligible for the new funding for two-year-olds were still considering leaving their jobs or reducing their hours as they could not afford to work, according to a survey in March, external by the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed.