Congleton MP Sarah Russell, whose constituency includes Sandbach and Alsager, has used her time to share her concerns for the future of childcare.

During an International Women's Day debate in parliament, the MP began saying thanks to "the women who look after my children, and all of our children".

The MP continued by stating that an overwhelming majority of the childcare workforce in the UK is made up of women.

"It is some of the most undervalued work in our society, it is often paid at minimum wage, and other parents cannot work without it", said Russell. In the UK there are 54,700 Early Years childcare providers, 98% of which are female.

The issue of an unsustainable childcare industry has been a cause for concern in recent years. The Conservative government announced a dramatic increase in early years 'free' hours, without having a plan for how this would be funded.

Labour is putting £1.8 billion of additional funding into the early years, which will see eligible children from nine months receive 30 hours of funded childcare from September this year.

The aim is that 75% of children should arrive at primary school 'school ready', up from the most recent figure of 67.7%. The highest that this statistic has ever been is 71.8%.

Regarding the burden of at-home childcare should early years childcare continue to struggle, Russell refers in her speech to the ABC nursey chain in Australia.

When the chain collapsed, "19,000 families lost their childcare overnight". Shewent on tosay: "I guarantee that it was predominantly women who did not go to work the next day, not those children's fathers."

Urging a review of the rates that three and four-year-old childcare is paid, the MP says that "a consolidated sector is inherently a fragile one".

The MP states that what she does not want to see is "small, passionate, women-owned businesses squeezed out of the sector", unable to compete as the big chains achieve economies of scale.

At present, the existing structure of early years childcare is challenging for workers, parents, and for children. Women's Budget Group suggest that investment in highquality early years childcare would enable mothers to increase their earnings drastically per year.

Ending her speech, the MP said: "I want to say thank you to all of the women who have inspired me, both in this Chamber and beyond, and all those women who have helped me.

"Most of all, though, I want to say thank you to the women who looked after me, and the women who look after my children."

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