Childcare crisis

The survey findings from the Early Years Alliance are a damning indictment of the Government, which has utterly failed on childcare during Covid. Boris Johnson's government has let down parents, children and providers - and women will not pay the price for their failure. Half of the parents of young children surveyed - mostly mothers - don’t feel the government has done enough to support parents to access childcare during the pandemic.

Demand that your MP takes action on the childcare crisis.

Follow this link to find their contact information - you need to copy their email address into an email
Use the template copy below to email your MP - you can copy and paste it into the email and then edit it. You might have your own experiences of childcare during Covid that you want to add.
Don't forget to edit the email to add your MP's name and your own details. It's important to include your address so your MP knows you are a constituent.

Dear [Your MP’s name] MP,

I am writing to ask you to act urgently to support the childcare sector, which is facing a huge crisis that could negatively impact women’s employment for years to come.

Findings from the Early Years Alliance this week show half of the parents surveyed - mostly mothers - don’t feel the government has done enough to support them to access childcare during the pandemic. Problems accessing childcare had a negative effect on a third of parents’ working lives and over a quarter of parents’ mental health, rising to almost a half in the most deprived areas.

If the Covid crisis has demonstrated anything, it is that care matters. Our economy, our whole society cannot function without it. Yet the childcare sector is facing an unprecedented crisis in the months ahead, with a quarter of providers at risk of closure on top of already reduced capacity. As the furlough scheme comes to an end and the economy becomes less stable, this could create a perfect storm. Mothers - who typically earn less, are more likely to work part-time and are doing the brunt of Covid care - are in real danger of losing their jobs.

Unless politicians like you take action on the childcare crisis, parents won’t be able to go to work or will be laid off, families will be driven into poverty and any progress that has been made towards women’s equality will be reversed.

Will you commit to supporting the following steps to help to address the childcare crisis?

Emergency funding for the childcare sector to stem the immediate crisis.
Until childcare provision returns to pre-Covid levels, extending the furlough scheme to support parents and guaranteeing a legal right to shared furloughing - split between two parents, or a nominated second person for single parents.
Sustained long term investment in the childcare sector.

Throughout the pandemic the government has repeatedly promised to do “whatever it takes” but that has not been the experience for most parents. If we want to Build Back Equal from Covid we need a care-led recovery and proper investment in the childcare sector, which would create jobs and increase tax revenues. Please show your support for this urgent issue.