Government delays childcare help

lyndyn I never said mothers shouldn't work. I had to work full time myself. If you see my previous posting about it you'll see how I managed. It was hard. But the person who suffered most was me! We did OK. No foreign hols, fancy tvs or tech stuff. We had a pretty scruffy house but ok. I also did a PhD on the side. All this against the background of poor DH being made redundant several times (Thatchers years). I suppose that's why I don't have much time for whingeing young mums today!

You need to say what you mean, then, Jane.

I help out with one of grandchildren, BUT my daughters and daughter in law would stay at home if they could afford (not necessarily monitary)'to. My daughters work part-time, one to keep her seniority, the other one as she worked very hard to get her PHD in science. She enjoys and wishes to continue her career.

My daughter in law and son live in London, need I say anymore re buying a house there.

One consideration some people forget is that in the future without a private/work pension women will be disadvantaged on retirement. Whilst men in some pension schemes have seen their contributions rise and qualifying years go up. As the state pension, (to which all workers have contributed) reduces a company pension scheme for both men and women will be an essential part of retirement income.

My mothers generation gave up work on marriage, when I started work that was still common, or else women left when they got pregnant. Are some people still believing we should go back to that?

I didn't need to work as to buy our house as we only needed one income, but when my children were all at secondary school I chose to build a career.

I want my girls (and my granddaughters), to have a choice, not dictated by a husbands/partners income, on whether they stay into higher education as a career choice and then to work or not when needing childcare. Not an easy choice - or lifestyle from my observations.

Finally 'education' is not paid for at school, many mothers then go out to work, and a furore ensues if teachers strike- as they have to take a days unpaid leave or use holidays. Education/Childcare costs come from our taxes, without well educated workers who will be paying the next generations pensions?

Toys back in the pram dj. I meant state funded nurseries as I suspect you well knew. Leaving babies all day in the care of others is not better or even best practice. Flexible work practice, fathers taking responsibility etc would be more impressive than expecting the state to prop up families.

Yes, nandalot of course it is.
Sorry

Anyway, the fact is that the government promised this last year and has now broken its promise. Nothing new there, then.

They are not in state nurseries. Where do you think you are?
Denmark? Norway? Sweden? Israel?
They will be with childminders, etc., or nurseries as they get older.
Anyway, I said we wanted better for our children, not best.
Better does not mean just nursery education for all. It means for those who need to go out to work - unfortunately too many - they will be helped to have jobs and childcare to suit.

I don't think state nurseries for babies upwards is the best for children!

I always thought that parents wanted better for their children than they had themselves, but obviously I am wrong.
I did not have help when my children were young, but I do not think my children or grandchildren shouldn't have it if necessary.
And these days it is necessary, as Gammon says.

No it's 15 hours at the moment. The promise was it would be increased to 30.

All 3 yr olds are currently entitled to 30 hrs free childcare.

Isn't it the new tax free childcare voucher scheme that's been delayed, rather than the 30 hours universal childcare?

They always did for us too. We most certainly did not have the easy time young people seem to think we did! I worked extra hours to earn time off in lieu that I needed for childcare. No holidays as I needed to keep the hours saved for children's illness . No parental leave either. Not moaning. We just got on with it.

Housing costs can need more than 1 salary nowadays.

How did we manage before? I never had any free childcare bit somehow managed. Is this what's referred to as the 'nanny state'.