When Jenni Ellis opened the letter from her 17-month-old’s nursery, she felt heartbroken. The secondary school teacher has already remortgaged her home to pay for her children’s childcare – and now she’s been told the fees will be rising again in the new year.
Ellis and her husband spend around £1,900 per month on childcare for their three kids – around the same amount they receive in one of their salaries – and will struggle to afford the increased fees.
“We’re just about making ends meet,” Ellis, who lives on the south coast of England, told openDemocracy. “My parents can’t help, so the kids have to go into childcare.”
