Should Everyone Get FREE Childcare?

The only problem us where the money is come from to fund it. The cost of running a childcare setting is mental. The cost parents are charged aren't about profit as there's none in childcare or little. The overheads are horrendous.

That's only if both parents are working what if your a single parent do you still get the 30 hours?

I don’t know the ins and outs of all this and definitely agree everyone should get free childcare in principle however how realistic is it.

Yes I believe all kids should attend nursery not just those with working parents.

The criteria is different in Scotland. All children from the age of 3 get 30 free hours a week. Some children are eligible from 2. You just have to register them once they turn 3.

it would be great if they could, but down here nursery's seem to be closing down all over the place so where people are expected to get any child care from, free or not, isnt clear at all. Like everything else in this country its falling apart

We are facing a global environmental catastrophe we really need to encourage people to have less children. People should be able to claim back some costs based on their earnings but it should be financially beneficial for the government overall when it takes in the taxation from their earnings and reduction in benefits. I believe that isn't always the case. Despite the huge debts we have the government continues to borrow adding more debt to the pile. I think the crunch will come soon perhaps in the next 3-5 years possibly where whichever government it is will be forced to have an emergency budget and many of these benefits will simply disappear as the IMF will force huge cuts on the government as part of their bailout.

If not free, certainly more affordable. I think very important social skills are learnt at pre school for kids, social skills I think that are rapidly running out in our society these days

No. If you want children then you pay for them. I do think it should be more affordable though.

Would be great, but who'd pay for it, country is already in a mountain of debt due to this conservative sideshow

No, and that's my final answer

If both parents work i think they should be help Taken from parents gross wage. When my kids were little it was ‘playschool’. You could only do 9 til 12 and there werent the huge fees they seem to have now. My mum helped a lot. I help my kids as much as I can if siblings already attend they should gets priorty.

No, you choose to have children, you should find a way to fund it.

People that can't have children or choose not to have them because they want to be sensible for financial reasons, go down on the list for housing because there are people with babies and young children. It doesn't seem right to me, sorry.

People say you are never able to 'afford' children, but it should be something to consider before attempting to expand your family and I know there are other reasons why pregnancy might happen.

I see lots of conversations about offering parents more free care etc. But I'd rather see more money being put into the healthcare system and making that more stable, sort out the mental health system too before adding more pressure on it all.

Thanks for all your replies

Absolutely NOT. Like all benefits, only those in need should get them. I’ve seen people stock up on ‘essentials’ at a Food Bank, then seen them later buying 3 bottles of M&S Wine!

No definitely not.

Remember no kids and within 100 years the whole population will be wiped out and ofc someone will have to work on those claiming benefits.