'I've got up at 4am to work before the children wake'

Families speak about how they are juggling their jobs with childcare as the cost of summer holiday clubs goes up and up

- HOLLY BANCROFT

The summer holidays are meant to be a time of rest and relaxation but for single father Daniel, the extended break means forking out hundreds of pounds in childcare fees that he cannot afford.

He’s been able to book off two weeks from his job at Asda to look after his three-year-old son but when that ends this week he’s facing a £55 daily fee for nursery. “I earn around £50 my shifts – so I would basically be working for free, or working worse off,” he told The Independent.

The newly single father, who is based near Dudley in the West Midlands, has taken out a loan of £600 to cover some of the nursery fees. But he is worried about how he will pay it back.

Recent research from childcare charity Coram found that parents are spending more than £1,000 per child on average for school summer holiday care – a rise of 6 per cent on last year. The average cost of a place at a holiday club in the UK is now approximately £175 per week – 2.5 times higher than the cost of an after-school club during term time.

Daniel, 32, works at the supermarket on Fridays and Sundays, and gets some overtime work on Tuesdays, and he is keen to keep himself in employment. He cycles an hour to and from work because the Asda store closest to him has no work available, but he’s worried that he could be penalised by the company or by the benefits system if he can’t find childcare for his son.

“I’m worried about having to explain this to my work coach and I’m worried they will penalise me. I’m also worried about being sanctioned if I lose my job, because if I lose my job then I’d lose my benefits.” He said he is struggling to sleep and feeling low due to the mounting pressure of childcare costs.