Parents and children in rural areas also face a disadvantage – 83% of rural parishes have no private nursery, 93% no public nursery and 92% no out-of-school childcare. The report says: “Only 10% of employees in the UK now work a standard 40-hour week, but flexible childcare services have not been developed to meet the needs of shift workers who still depend on multiple informal arrangements. With both parents in nearly 70% of couples working, there is a demand for an all-day service for three and four-year-olds, not just part-time nursery education places.
“Isolated working mothers are still very upset in the previous E.Germany, because months after the new SPD/Green Govt. were able to box through the re-introduction of govt. guarantees for the availability of pre-school child care and after school extended care for all who have a social indication of needing it… (after this had been the case for some 15+ years in the old E.Germany and had not been available since re-unification under the previous CDU/CSU Govt.. until its recent restitution.) a few of them have found themselves being put on 3 – 6 month waiting lists as local officials cling to high personnel .Child ratios and refuse to “overcrowd” in order to comply in the short term with the new govt. guarantees of a place – until more staff can be trained and premises found etc.”
