Uptick in childminder queries, as businesses offer to subsidise childcare costs

As the lockdown drags on, with no true end in sight, families are struggling to juggle work and parenting and schooling. 

Since it was announced that childminders could return to work under Level 4 lockdown regulations, it seems there has been an increase in requests for au pairs and nannies.  

Especially since daycares and schools are still closed indefinitely. Read more here: Are all nannies and domestic workers able to return to work under Level 4 lockdown

Parent24 reached out to local nanny and au pair agencies, to find out if more families are looking for help now that childminders are allowed to return to work, and we learned that "there has certainly been an influx of inquiries".

Charne Peters, Director of AuPair Extraordinaire, told us that parents with babies and preschool aged children are looking for au pairs, and primary and high school parents are looking for homeschool tutors.

"We have so far, in the last two weeks, had a 64% increase in inquiries. The current teacher/parent/employee role that parents are taking on is not sustainable," she said.

Peters also revealed that the business is seeing an increase in corporates approaching them for assistance in their employee wellness programs.

"Some of their key players with children are just not able to output at the level they used to, so corporations are looking into subsidising private childcare, which is a first," she told us.

"It is clear that parents are struggling, and the need for childcare, even when mom and dad are home, is becoming more urgent," she added.

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These companies have only started investigating this, she said, but she has had inquiries from the rail, insurance and IT industries.  

In response, the business is creating corporate packages offering contracted au pairs and tutors on a temp basis until the schools go back.

Peters said companies are looking at assisting in providing relief for their workers as opposed to full time childcare, so many are looking at contracting an au pair for a family, for example for 3 mornings or 15 hours a week. 

Has your company offered to assist with childcare? Let us know! 

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