ALMOST HALF of parents have reduced the number of hours for which they are seeking childcare in the past year as a result of the recession, according to a survey.
The survey of registered members of Childminding Ireland, which represents about 1,000 people who mind children in their own homes, found that in some cases parents reduced hours of childminding by just a few hours but in other instances hours of childminding were halved.
Overall, 45 per cent of childminders reported that parents had reduced the number of hours for which they were seeking childcare in 2010. Of these 76 per cent reported a reduction in the parents’ working hours or pay as the reason for this change.
Other reasons given included the birth of a second or third child, family members providing help with childcare and the introduction of the free pre-school year.
In addition the percentage of childminders who reported they were providing after-school care dropped to 42 per cent last year, down from 52 per cent in 2008. This too, according to Childminding Ireland, may reflect the impact of the recession with grandparents or extended-family members having stepped in to provide after-school care to ease the financial burden of struggling families.
The survey also found significant variations in childminding fees across the State, with rates highest in Cork at an average of €205 a week. In the east fees were higher in commuter-belt counties such as Wicklow, Meath and Kildare than in Dublin.
In Dublin the average weekly cost of childcare quoted by childminders who responded to the survey was €177 while in Wicklow it stood at €199, in Meath €187 and in Kildare €186.
The lowest weekly rate quoted was by childminders in Donegal at €110, but those behind the survey say due to the low rate of response from some counties and the fact that there were no responses from counties Laois, Longford or Monaghan, the figures should be treated as illustrative only.
Quite surprisingly, according to the survey, the national average rate for a full-time childcare place was slightly higher last year at €151 than a year earlier when it stood at €148.
Patricia Murray, chief executive of Childminding Ireland, said this was probably as a result of the increased cost of heating a home and rising fuel costs incurred when collecting children from school or dropping them off at playgroups.
More than half of childminders, some 55 per cent, who responded to the survey said they offered discounted rates for families. The national average family rate was found to be €251 to mind two to three children for up to 40 hours a week. Just over 70 per cent of the childminders said they were registered for tax.
Overall 69 per cent said they had secured Garda vetting, which is a 13 per cent increase on the figure reported in 2009. Another 33 per cent have applied for Garda vetting but the survey report says this can take months or even a year or more in certain instances.
The survey questionnaire was posted to 745 registered members of Childminding Ireland and the response rate was 26 per cent.