Our son’s about to turn three

Monika and Henry Byrne are in a difficult situation. In six weeks, their son Leo will have to leave his current child care provider after he turns three.

They are one of a growing number of families struggling to find a place; Many childminders say they can no longer afford to take on three- and four-year-olds because of low government funding rates for older children.

The number of childminders overall is also decreasing, and one charity warns there will be no childminders left by 2033.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesman said childminders could use funding flexibly, not just for a specific age group, and “many people will be able to benefit from the increased demand for places”.

But mum Monika, a quantity surveyor near Milton Keynes, said she had “no idea how difficult it would be” to find a new place for her sons.

“After the tenth ‘no’ from the nursery, I was devastated,” she said.

Couple in contact Your Voice, Your BBC News They considered the government-funded hours to share their stories a “Godsend.”

But Henry says this only works when there’s free space.

“If babysitters don’t feel like they’re getting adequate compensation, that falls on the parents. We don’t have family around us and we’re really at our wits’ end.”

Although they did secure a potential spot for Leo in January, it’s only available three days a week; This means they now have to discuss flexible working arrangements with their employers.

Ofsted figures show the number of childminders has been declining for a decade, from almost 48,000 in 2015 to 26,000 in 2024.

This comes at a time when demand is increasing as more working parents now have these rights. 30 hours of publicly funded child care for children over nine months During the period in England.

Hundreds of childminders now say they restrict or refuse care of three- and four-year-olds, according to a survey by Coram PACEY, the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

The charity’s chief executive, Ka Lai Brightley-Hodges, said childminders would be willing to offer the places if they were “appropriately funded”.

This will allow them to offer a continuum of care from nine months to school age, he said.

Childminder Georgina Young makes gingerbread men at her home in Carlton, Yorkshire, with two four-year-old children she has cared for since they were babies.

“I’m at a loss, I’ll normally get financing in less than an hour,” he says.

“There is no other job where you work really hard and are rewarded with a pay cut.”

Judy Wylde, who lives in Wirral, says the price paid for three- and four-year-olds is “appalling”.

She has been a babysitter for 35 years and spends most of her time at play centres, the museum and the library. He says he saved so he could cover the gap when they turned three.

Both Judy and Georgina believe government expansion funding has left childminders behind compared to nurseries because they operate with different staff to child ratios.

Some rules for babysitters have been relaxed. They can now work in community or village halls and the total number of people allowed to work together has increased.

But Judy and Georgina would like to see more changes, including a rule stating that childminders cannot be related to the children they care for.

Next year, Judy will not be able to continue caring for her grandson, Louie, because his parents will be eligible for subsidized work hours.

“It disturbs my life,” he says.

“I have an incredible bond with Louie, but I can’t do this for free. He takes up space and that’s my only income since my husband died.”

Georgina similarly says that she would love to look after her nephew, who will be one year old next week, but she cannot afford to do it for free.

“My sister started looking into child care options and was really upset because she obviously wanted to send him to me.”

The issues affect both babysitters and parents.

Child care spaces overall increased by 1% in 2024; this was mainly due to the expansion of private kindergartens and kindergartens.

But the government has acknowledged that parents may not get their first choice.

For Kirstie Osborne, lack of space is a real concern.

The mother of two was laid off from her job while she was on maternity leave. Most jobs for which he is suitable require him to start immediately or within three months.

But the earliest he could find a nursery site near where he lives in the West Midlands is September 2026.

“I’ve given up even applying for jobs now,” he says.

“It’s like you can’t get in, the door is closed and locked.”

A government spokesman said ministers had “supported the sector with £8bn of funding this year” and that the workforce had “grown significantly” in the early years.

They added that childminders provide “flexible, high-quality care that families value.”