Mum quoted £2,000-a-month for childcare urges Gov to step up

Wednesday 11 October 2023

A mum who was "shocked" to be quoted nearly £2,000-a-month to put her five-month-old daughter in full-time childcare has secured the backing of more than 1,500 islanders in her campaign to get Jersey's Government to subsidise nursery costs.

Jessica Stanier, who began an online petition in September, said she hoped the initiative would enable women to return to work, boost the island's low birth rate and help with skills shortages.

Any petition which receives more than 1,000 signatures is entitled to an official response from a Minister. 

A "important" issue for families

While a full, formal response to the petition is yet to be issued, Assistant Children and Education Minister Deputy Louise Doublet said as it topped 1,500 signatures yesterday: "The fact that this petition has reached 1,000 signatures in a short space of time is a sign of the strength of feeling from working parents, and indicative of just how important this issue is for families.

"I understand and empathise with the needs of families and children in this respect."

Pictured: Deputy Louise Doublet, Assistant Minister for Children and Education, has been committed to "addressing this issue" since taking up office.

She continued: "Providing affordable, high-quality childcare for working parents is a complex system with lots of elements that need to be considered. This includes not just the cost to parents, but capacity within the system, building a skilled workforce to provide care, and the availability of different types of childcare that offer choices that meet different families' needs.

"Since taking office, I have been committed to addressing this issue and I am continuing to do so. It is clear that this system needs to be looked at as a whole."

Deputy Doublet said it was a "long-term piece of work" and that she would "continue to work with childcare providers, other experts, children and families towards achieving this vision."

The politician added that she would "respond fully to this petition within the timescales required".

Nearly twice as expensive as UK

Ms Stanier said that she had been "absolutely shocked to find that childcare is so expensive" locally.

A study by PwC recently found that childcare in Jersey was nearly twice as expensive as the average UK cost and that those high costs were disincentivising women from returning to work. Express broke down that study here.

Ms Stanier continued: "I created a petition for the States to consider free or heavily subsidised childcare so that more women have the choice to return to work, in whatever capacity they want to."

Hopes to "positively impact families of all make-ups and genders"

"This also can, of course, impact men, but statistically it's proven to be predominantly women who give up their careers to take care of their children," she said.

"In any case, the idea behind this petition would positively impact families of all make-ups and genders."

She also argued that it would encourage Islanders to increase the size of their families and thereby reduce the issues presented by an ageing population, as well as releasing skilled workers back into our lacking workforce and narrowing the gender pay gap.

"This just isn't good enough," Ms Stanier said. "We are failing our Island's women by taking away their choice. We are impacting their entire families through not moving to improve this issue."

"Change is possible"

She acknowledged the need for "significant recruitment, resource and facility improvements" in the childcare sector but said: "Change is possible."

Another petition from last year calling for 20 hours free childcare for children from 9 months old also surpassed 1,500 signatures. Ms Stainer said: "There is clearly a lot of voices wanting change".

If a petition reaches 5,000 signatures, it is debated in the States Assembly.

Subsidising childcare: not so revolutionary?

According to a recent 2023 report, 'Careers After Babies', 85% of women leave full-time work within 3 years of having their first child.

Subsidising the cost of childcare is already in place in countries like Sweden, Norway, and parts of Canada – and now the UK.

The UK recently announced plans (to be implemented by 2025) for working parents of children under five to be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare per week and Ms Stanier said "we follow the UK with so many other things, it seems odd not to be making the same choice here".