WIREDGOV

The government should help establish a comparison website for nannies and nurseries, according to a new report from ippr published this week. ippr says parents should be able to go online and provide ratings, feedback and user satisfaction levels for other parents to find the best local childcare providers.

There is already a ratings site for the NHS (NHS Choices) that allows patients to rate doctors’ surgeries, dentists and hospitals. ippr wants a similar national site for parents to use to rate, compare and comment on nurseries, nannies and other childcare providers to build on the popularity of price comparison websites, open-access Ofsted ratings and parenting web-sites like NetMums and MumsNet that require users to be registered.

ippr’s research shows that parents trust other parents and want a single point of information for advice on childcare services in their local areas.

Nick Pearce, ippr Director, said:

'Parents need to know before they send their children to a nursery whether other parents think it is any good. The best way to drive up the quality of nurseries and other childcare providers is to have a national website where parents can rate them.'

Notes to editors

Download ippr’s report Parents at the Centre 

ippr undertook 10 deliberative workshops with 104 parents from across the UK. The workshops found:

• Parents use childcare primarily for their child’s social development. Other reasons include educational development and preparing children for school.
• When asked about accessibility, location was most important for the majority of parents. Provision had to be close to home, preferably within walking distance.
• Affordability was also a major concern with few being willing or able to pay any additional fees.

Contacts

Richard Darlington: 07525 481 602 / r.darlington@ippr.org

Tim Finch: 07595 920 899 / t.finch@ippr.org