Fifth of parents don’t trust nurseries

Branded the ‘day orphanage’ by the militant Stay-at-home-mothers, not all families have the chance to work and leave a parent at home to care for children.

Nurseries, childminders, nannies, au pairs and informal family childcare arrangements are the main choices for parents looking for someone to look after their children.

But whilst 63 per cent of parents choose a nursery, a fifth of parents prefer to use other options because they don’t trust them.

In a study of more than 1,150 UK parents in full time employment with children aged 1 – 3 years of age, 52 per cent said they used a nursery because it was a better financial option than one parent not being at work.

A further 29 per cent chose a nursery because they felt their child would benefit from the social interaction opportunities and 13 per cent felt it would help their child prepare for reception.

Of the 37 per cent of parents not using nurseries, 62 per cent had a friend of relative taking care of the children and 12 per cent used a child minder or nanny.

MyVoucherCodes.co.uk conducted the study and Chairmain Mark Pearson said of the findings: “It was surprising to see that some parents don’t trust nurseries, but leaving a child in the care of someone else is a big commitment for a parent. However, if the right research is conducted before choosing a nursery this can erase any fears the parent may have.”