ONE in three childcare providers in the North of Ireland is planning to put up prices as they struggle with rising costs, a survey has suggested.
The survey was carried out by social enterprise Employers For Childcare and received more than 2,200 responses from parents and childcare providers.
It found almost a third of childcare providers described their current financial position as “distressed”.
Some said that they were facing immediate risk of closure.
At the same time, about a quarter of families – 28% – said they were struggling to find and pay for the childcare they need.
The research suggested the average cost of a full-time childcare place in the North of Ireland was £170 per week – the equivalent of 34% of the median weekly household income here.
Aoife Hamilton said they were hearing that this was the “most worrying picture yet”
“We have been reporting on childcare in Northern Ireland for over a decade and for many years, parents and childcare providers have been telling us about the issues they face, but this is the most worrying picture yet.”
The affect of Covid-19 on the sector means one in two parents (51%) who took part in the survey said the pandemic had changed their childcare requirements.
In 2021, families reported using an average of 39 hours of childcare per week, down from 42 hours in 2020.
