School holiday childcare costs parents nearly £3,500 every year

School holiday childcare is costing families an average of £3,500 every year according to new research.

As childcare costs rise across the UK, research from Childcare.co.uk has revealed the true cost of the school holidays with the upcoming Easter break set to cost families an average of £426 per child.

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The six week summer holidays was found to cost families the most with families paying as much as £2,133 on average per child for the six weeks.

The Christmas break was also found to set back families £850 in childcare fees.

The research from Childcare.co.uk tracked its internal data for one year and monitored the average costs for childcare services such as childminders, nurseries, nannies, and babysitters across the country during the three major school holidays – Easter, Summer and Christmas.

Nannying was found to be the most expensive form of childcare costing families £9.81 an hour, followed by babysitting (£8.32), childminding (£4.89) and day nurseries (£5.60)

Regional differences

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The research also looked at the regional differences in childcare costs with London proving to be the most expensive with the summer holidays costing £2,535 and Easter costing £507 on average, equating to £3042.

The South East came was the second most expensive area costing £2577.60 on average for summer and Easter childcare, followed by the North West (£2401.40), the East of England (£2397.60) and the South West (£2390.40).

Yorkshire & Humber came in as the sixth most expensive place for childcare for the summer and Easter holidays costing families £2311.20.

Childcare in Wales was found to be at the cheaper end of the scale costing families £2282.40 for summer and Easter childcare, followed by the North East which costs parents £2206.80.

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The East Midlands was found to be the cheapest area for summer and Easter childcare costs with families paying £2191.40 on average per child.

Richard Conway, CEO and founder of Childcare.co.uk said: “Most parents will recognise the worry of having to try and find a nanny or childminder to care for the kids throughout the school holidays while they work.

“For families where a parent works in a school, it doesn’t seem to be as stressful, because they’re off at the same time as their children, but for the rest of us, finding a childcarer who’s available for six weeks can be difficult, as well as expensive.

Conway added:“The price of childcare has been rising steadily in recent years, and with the free government childcare scheme hitting roadblocks, there is increased stress on parents to find high quality, affordable and available childcare. We’re just hoping that we can help out a few stressed parents find the right childcarer for them in time for the ‘dreaded’ summer holidays!”