I can't operate at a loss, says childminder

A childminder has said that costs are deterring people from going into the profession and the current childcare subsidy scheme does not go far enough.

Suzi Douglas, from Bangor, in County Down, loves working with children.

She has worked in the industry for more than 30 years and for the last 11 she has been running her own business - but she says it's becoming more difficult to stay afloat.

Last month, Education Minister Paul Givan confirmed he would be extending the current childcare subsidy scheme that was introduced last September.

The minister also said he would be increasing the maximum amount that could be claimed per child to take into consideration rises in childcare fees.

However, Suzi said more is needed from the scheme.

"I am only speaking as a one-person business and in the last two years my food costs are up 20% from £700 a month to £850, my electricity, gas petrol, resources, craft materials, paper and ink have all gone up.

"I can honestly say there is not a single cost that has come down," she told BBC News NI.

"Nurseries are taking a lot of heat at the moment because costs are rising but when you look at my overheads, nurseries have staff to pay and every time the minimum wage goes up their staff bill increases, then we have the rise in national insurance," she added.

She told BBC News NI her insurance had gone up from £340 a month to £722 a month.

She sympathises with parents who are feeling the pinch.

"I completely understand that childcare costs are spiralling out of control for a lot of parents and I really feel their pain but it is a business - which is how I make my livelihood and a business cannot run at a loss," she explained.

"In 2023 there were 2,300 registered childminders in Northern Ireland and we are now down to 1,920, a huge drop in spaces for children," she said.

In May 2024 the education committee heard that the number of registered childminders in Northern Ireland has halved over the past two decades while demand for childcare has risen.

Suzi believes people are leaving the sector as it is not paying.

Rebecca Gibson has three children aged nine, seven and three - and at one stage was paying £1,400 a month in childcare.

"My partner and I were in full-time jobs and it took all my salary and part of his and left us in financial trouble so we had to make the decision for one of us to come out of work and one of us to stay in work just so we could afford to live," she told BBC News NI.

"Now that my youngest is headed for nursery in September we can both go out to part-time jobs and come home in the afternoon again so we are avoiding the childcare fees," she added.

It's not the situation Rebecca would choose to be in.

"I want my kids to be socialising and out making friends - we just can't afford it," she said.

Even with the current subsidy scheme Rebecca was having to borrow money from family just so she could pay bills.

Hundreds of people gathered in Belfast on Saturday to call for reform to childcare.

Organised by Melted Parents NI, they said the childcare crisis is affecting all aspects of society and they want to ensure that there are no further delays to the childcare strategy.

Those attending the rally said the childcare subsidy is no longer satisfactory and only helps a small amount of families.

Becca Harper, from Melted Parents NI, said parents are having to leave the workforce because childcare has become so unaffordable.

"The rest of Europe invest in a childcare strategy as economic infrastructure," she said.

"We need the Northern Ireland government to act radically and invest in childcare to transform families lives and the economy.

"When the subsidy was introduced it helped but our childcare bills have increased by 20/30% since then - we need it to reach all families using registered childcare."

Mum of three Laurie Livingstone said parents are struggling.

"I'm on maternity and I'm actually taking an extended maternity leave as I can't afford to go back to work," Ms Livingstone said.

"I have twins and we are struggling and considering if I will go back to work. I'd love to return back to work full time but there is just no way that I can," she said.

"People need to listen to parents and what they have to say in relation to the rises that are still occurring," Ms Livingstone added.

A Department of Education spokesperson said the new subsidy scheme "has saved Northern Ireland parents approximately £8m which they would have had to pay in childcare fees".

The scheme will continue next year and the amount which can be claimed per child per month will be raised from 1 April.

"Parents claiming the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy also get a contribution to their childcare costs from the Government's Tax Free Childcare Scheme," they said.

"The combined effect is up to a 32% reduction to their bills.

"The minister is currently considering what more he can do in 2025/26 with the amount allocated to early learning and childcare in the executive budget."

"The measures introduced to date are just a start" and the minister is "committed to producing a full strategy by autumn this year which will cover the needs of children, parents and providers," the spokesperson continued.

In a statement, the Department of Health said it "remains committed to participating in, and contributing to, the continuing work across departments to support the childcare sector".

It is currently running a consultation on potentially changing ratios for how many children should be under the care of one registered childminder, and urged parents and people from across the childcare sector to respond.

Last September Givan's new scheme to help with the cost of childcare provided a 15% subsidy on top of the 20% granted by the government to children under primary school age.

In February more than 15,000 children were registered.

For childminder Suzi, it does not go far enough.

"Children still need care before and after school so the idea that childcare costs end when your child starts school is nonsensical," she said.