Single Parents Week - Why childcare is so important for lone parents.

Many lone parents work in low-paid, insecure, part-time roles meaning that almost 40% of lone parents are raising their children in poverty.  This is because one of their biggest challenges is finding and paying for childcare but for them, it can be a lifeline.  There are several different options, if you can source them, but it’s really important for lone parents to find childcare that suits them and the child and for it to be affordable and flexible.

It’s no secret that there’s a lack of affordable and flexible childcare and this has a massive impact on employability, career progression, and financial sustainability for lone parents, and, without support from family or a partner to share the caring responsibilities, there can also be a negative impact on their wellbeing. 

Childcare plays an invaluable role in supporting lone parents as it can provide a safe, nurturing environment for their children whilst they are at work.  Removing this barrier to employment helps promote sustainability within employment, confidence and self-sufficiency.

Put plainly – it means the parent can work, but there are also benefits for the child.  It encourages interaction with other people, reducing a dependency on one particular person, who has to be everything to that child.  It exposes that child to new environments, new foods, and new learning, and of course provides other children to play with.

Along with enabling the parent to secure and sustain employment, there are other benefits for the parents.  Many lone parents can become stuck in their ‘own wee bubble’ but with the drop-off and pick-up, they often find themselves interacting with other parents and widening their social circle, as well as the child’s, establishing support networks.

Childcare can also provide the parents with some well-needed time to themselves.  Many parents feel guilty about wanting to do things on their own and for lone parents, this can be extremely difficult but it is a necessity to try to maintain a healthy balance for both themselves and their child(ren) and having childcare in place can sometimes simply mean that they go for a catch up with a friend, grab a coffee, go for a walk or simply make appointments like going to the doctors or dentist or the hairdressers and they don’t need to take kids along.

Childcare is a lifeline for lone parents for many reasons and they’re all as important as each other to ensure stability.