A CHILDCARE matchmaking service will be set up in Southwark to bring parents and minders together if the recommendations of Dame Tessa Jowell’s Childcare Commission are taken on by the council.
A report detailing the ways into childcare could be made more affordable in Southwark and Lambeth was launched yesterday at Loughborough Children’s Centre.
The six-month research project was launched after it came to light that parents are now paying on average £14,000 a year in childcare costs for a two-year-old, leading to a record low maternity employment levels in London.
Other recommendations included councils incentivising employers to set up workplace nurseries, travel discounts to parents and a London Mayor-funded interest-free loan scheme so that parents can pay childcare costs upfront.
Dame Tessa Jowell, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, said: “Parents have to be free to work whilst raising their families; children have to be given the nurturing environment they need to grow. This report presents a serious set of recommendations to make childcare in Lambeth and Southwark better for families, better for children, better for our communities – and I am proud to support it.”
Leader of Southwark Council, Cllr Peter John, said: “This report offers a series of ideas and exciting options that we must – and will – consider. We will work with parents, businesses and the Mayor in open partnership to create a city that embraces parenthood and creates a world of opportunity for all our children.”