Childcare Affordability NI

We are petitioning Government within Northern Ireland to drive an awareness campaign on childcare affordability. The high costs of childcare leaves many families struggling, however there is financial help available to bring down the cost of childcare. Currently ONLY 13% of families are utilising support available. Parents can access either the Childcare Voucher Scheme or the childcare element of Working Tax Credits. Both forms of help can lead to thousands of pounds in savings. The low level of take-up is due to the lack of awareness amongst parents and indeed our employers on the financial benefits. We are calling all parents, employers and MLA’s to back our petition to increase awareness on financial support available to help drive down the costs of childcare, thousands of families in Northern Ireland are losing out financially. Why is it important? Both forms of help come directly from the Treasury and are not taken from the Northern Ireland block grant. Therefore, an increased uptake amongst parents would be good news for NI Plc. Bringing down the cost of childcare means that more parents will stay in the work place and will have more disposable income. This is good news for employers and our local economy.