Children want more childcare, report finds

Children also wanted childcare workers who saw the role as a vocation rather than simply a job, the research found.

The research – Listening to Children, part of a series of reports in charity Daycare Trust’s government-funded Listening to Families about Childcare project – was based on interviews with children and young people aged between six and 12 and up to 18 for those with disabilities.

Concerns of children included feeling unsafe when leaving after-school clubs in the dark, being bullied inside and outside clubs, not spending enough time with their families and the cost of childcare.

Alison Garnham, joint chief executive of the Daycare Trust, said: “To ensure high quality childcare it's crucial that we take into account the views of the children who use it.”

In response to the research, Daycare Trust called for greater government subsidies of out-of-school activities for children from poorer families, giving children a greater say in how clubs are organised, employing youth-work trained staff and getting older pupils to assist staff in extra-curricular clubs, and improving safety for children travelling to and from childcare settings.