Working parents count the cost (From Penarth Times)

Working parents count the cost

PENARTH families are having to rely on charity as day care charges for children cost hundreds of pounds.

Working parents look set to fork out a fortune in order to allow their children to take part in various summer play schemes.

Weekly charges can add up to over £60 per child.

The national average is exactly £60, but costs can vary from around £51 to £140 per week for one child, according to the Daycare Trust.

Places at nurseries and primary schools in Penarth where parents can leave their children are also getting harder to find.

With parents unable to take the whole of the six week summer holiday off work, many have no option but to pay for child care, in order to keep their offspring occupied.

One example of child care is St Aubin's Nursery on Archer Road, Penarth, which charges up to £95 to take a child under six for the week.

However, with only 25 places, many parents are forced to look elsewhere. Nursery manager Helen Hemming said she often had to turn parents away.

The Penarth Family Centre organises free day care centres in co-operation with the Vale of Glamorgan council and the NCH Cymru charity.

Project manager Jane Weeks said: "Without us, many children could end up bored and their familes would be frustrated.

"We organise trips out and lunches where parents and children can take a trip out for a very small price. It allows them to have some quality time together."