The Cost Of Summer Holiday Childcare Has More Than Doubled In 20 Years

Many working parents are facing steep summer bills.

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

School’s out for summer in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with kids in England and Wales soon to follow suit.

Alas, this means many working parents have six long weeks to fill with fun activities, day trips, perhaps the odd break away (if you’re lucky) and, most likely, a few expensive summer camps to bulk out the rest.

But how much is summer holiday childcare totting up at these days? A pretty wince-inducing sum, by the looks of it.

The cost of summer holiday childcare in 2026

Children’s charity Coram’s 21st annual Holiday Childcare Survey revealed holiday childcare costs have risen by 5% over the past year in Britain.

This means many working parents now face a bill of up to £1,145 per child for six weeks of holiday childcare. That’s £191 per week.

To put that into perspective, compared to how much people are earning, Forbes reported the median monthly pay for UK workers in May this year was £2,626.

In comparison, when the........

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