Latest news with #childcare
The Sun
4 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Five freebies and discounts parents on Universal Credit can get worth up to £3,286
PARENTS on Universal Credit could be entitled to freebies and deals worth over £3,000. With childcare costs on the rise, looking after growing tots can be challenging. 1 But for struggling families there may be some extra cash and perks they can get their hands on - some of which they may never had heard of. Here is what is available... PREGNANCY GRANT - £500 New parents can claim this one-off grant within 11 weeks of the baby's due date or up to six months after the baby is born. It's a payment worth £500 to help with the cost of having a child. Parents will need to print out and fill in the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form and have it signed by a doctor or midwife. You could qualify for the Sure Start Maternity grant if you're claiming benefits and expecting your first child. You can also qualify if you have children already and are expecting twins or triplets. HEALTHY START - £442 Healthy Start scheme. Anyone more than 10 weeks pregnant or with a child under four years old and on benefits can apply online or via email. The scheme issues parents with a card they can use in supermarkets, which gives them free access to milk, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables and tinned pulses. Disability benefit explained - what you can claim The full list of benefits qualifying you for the scheme is: Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Child Tax Credit with a family income of £16,190 or less per year Pension Credit Universal Credit with no earned income or total earned income of £408 or less per month for the family Parents can also apply for the scheme if you are under 18 and not on any benefits. You can find out more about the scheme in our full guide. FREE CHILDCARE - £1,739 Parents on Universal Credit may also be entitled to help with childcare costs. You'll need to be working - and your partner if you live with them - or have a job offer. But it doesn't matter how many hours you or your partner work. You can get 85 per cent of your expenses paid each month up to a maximum of £1,014 for one child or £1,739 for two or more kids. FREE SCHOOL MEALS - £500 Children whose parents receive income support such as Universal Credit, Job seeker's Allowance and Child Tax Credits can receive free school meals. How you apply depends on your personal circumstances - some people may be able to via their local council, while others might have to speak to their children's school directly. Type your postcode into the Government's website to see who to contact and how to apply at The exact amount you'll get depends on where you live, but the help is worth around £460 on average per child per year, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. If you're eligible for free school meals, you may also get similar help during school holidays including Christmas and Easter, as well as half terms. If your child is eligible for free school meals, they'll also qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme offering kids free activities to take part in outside of school.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mom Films Herself on the Toilet to Show What It Feels Like to Be the 'Default Parent'
Moms are all too often the 'default parent' — even when using the toilet. 'We stand in solidarity,' Brittany Thorn, a mother of two in Los Angeles, tells This week, Brittany shared a TikTok video that illustrated her role as the 'default parent.' The informal term is designed for those (usually moms) who manage most of the childcare, housework and family decisions — even when another parent is willing and present. In Brittany's video, she is sitting on the toilet when she hears a familiar voice call out, 'Mom! Mom!' Brittany's 4-year-old son, who had just finished eating breakfast with his father, John Thorn, wanted a snack. 'I'm going to the bathroom,' Brittany told her son in the video. 'Ask your dad — you literally walked right by him to get to me.' Comments on Brittany's video showed the commonality of the problem. 'I will be on my deathbed. Paralyzed. Blood coming from every orifice. And my kids will still walk past their dad to get to me.' 'I will be at work and my husband at home with our children and they will text me.' 'I was laying on the couch. My toddler was sitting at the dining room table with dad. She got up from the table, then walked to the living room to ask me for a snack. I was like, 'You can go ask your dad.' She looked at me like I was insane.' 'The other day, my kids asked me if I could pull over so they could take a picture. I wasn't even the one driving!!!' 'My kids will stand up from the couch NEXT TO THEIR DAD and come outside to ask me to get them food. No???' 'They have been sitting on his lap and gotten up to ask me for something.' 'I bought myself a shirt that said, 'Go ask your dad.' It helped.' Brittany tells that she is the 'default parent' for her two sons, ages 4 and 8. In her video, Brittany had just settled into the bathroom when she heard her youngest call for her. 'I told him, 'I was just with you — you knew where I was going!' says Brittany. 'I said, 'You had to walk past your dad to come here and ask me for something.'' According to Brittany, her husband tries his best to manage the children, especially when she's on the phone and amid the 'morning chaos.' She says that sometimes the word, 'Mom!' can feel like 'background noise' to her husband. Brittany admits she is the 'softer' parent who says, 'Yes' more often than her husband John. 'Sometimes, I say, 'Whatever — even if I don't want you to have that snack, if you're driving me crazy, I'll let you have it,'' says Brittany. 'Whereas, my husband is more likely to have a conversation about why the kids shouldn't have chocolate-covered pretzels for breakfast.' John agrees, telling that their children usually get the 'honey' from mom. 'When they want something questionable, they may feel they get more of a 'Yes' out of mom,' John says, adding that there are occasions in which he serves as the 'default parent,' when it comes to baseball or bike riding. Brittany said that day, her 'default parent' responsibilities were as extensive as a trip to the bathroom. 'I finished my business and when I came out, my son was already onto something else,' says Brittany. 'Whatever he needed was not actually important.' This article was originally published on
CTV News
21 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia creates more child-care spaces for Eastern Shore
A group of children are pictured playing outside. (Source: Province of Nova Scotia) The government of Nova Scotia will spend approximately $1.9 million to help create 72 new child-care spaces in the Lake Charlotte area of the Halifax Regional Municipality. 'It supports parents in the workforce, strengthens our communities and gives children the best possible start in life,' said Kent Smith, minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. 'That's why we're committed to expanding access to childcare options close to home.' The spaces will be at a new centre on Highway 7 that will be operated by the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth, said a Thursday news release. This is the 12th project announced under the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's major infrastructure program. Funding is provided through the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. Nova Scotia signed a five-year extension to child-care agreements worth more than $1 billion, said the release. With more than 2,500 spaces in 41 communities, the president and CEO of YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth said they are the largest provider of licensed, non-profit childcare in the province. 'Opening a new YMCA child-care centre in Lake Charlotte is part of our commitment to supporting families close to home,' said Brian Posavad. 'Since 2021, with support from the Province, the YMCA has created 1,056 new child-care spaces, representing 20 per cent of all new childcare in Nova Scotia.' The province has created almost 7,000 new child-care spaces since 2021, said the release. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
YMCA to open new daycare for 72 children on Eastern Shore
In about 10 months and with about $2 million, the YMCA plans to turn an old hardware store into a much-needed daycare on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. Brian Posavad, president and CEO of the YMCA for Halifax and Dartmouth, said design work is underway for the space, which is in the rural community of Lake Charlotte on the outskirts of the Halifax Regional Municipality. "We're really excited to say that 72 families now can have child care close to home, which is a critical part of any community building, which is what we like to do," Posavad said at an announcement outside the space Thursday. The province is contributing $1.9 million through a grant program that targets the creation of new daycare spaces, particularly in communities "with the highest need for child care," according to the program's guidelines. Response to community demand Kent Smith, the MLA for the area, said the need was made clear to him by a recent petition signed by more than 300 people. The petition said there's a lack of safe, affordable, quality child care for families on the Eastern Shore, especially east of Porters Lake, and that the issue is a growing concern. Smith said he received over 100 pieces of correspondence as a result of the petition, including some from people who couldn't return to work because they had no child-care options. He added that it's the result of a demographic shift that's taken place over the past 10 to 20 years. "We're seeing a lot more younger families joining the Eastern Shore, so those young families need places for their children to go each day," said Smith. The YMCA also received the petition, and subsequently did a survey of its own. Close to 100 people responded, with more than 90 per cent saying they would enrol in a daycare in the Lake Charlotte area if the YMCA opened one. The daycare will be in the lower level of a log building, where the upper level is home to a general store called Webber's. Smith described the building as an icon of the Eastern Shore. "I'm just thrilled that we get to announce this here today," he said. The daycare is expected to open next March or April with 72 spaces for children aged 18 months to four years. Posavad said families will be able to register about six months before opening. He said the YMCA will need to hire between 15 and 20 staff members. More than 2,500 additional spaces needed by 2026 Since 2021, the province has been working toward opening 9,500 additional daycare spaces by March 2026 as part of its federal child-care agreement. Pam Aucoin, executive director of early childhood education for the province, said just shy of 7,000 spaces have opened since the agreement was signed. She said the province remains on track to hit the target for new spaces, as well as a target for bringing prices down to an average of $10 per day, also by March 2026.
Mail & Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
A grandmother is a library: Support for their caregiving role is vital
About one in three children in South Africa is brought up by a grandparent.. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) In the heart of communities across South Africa, there exists a quiet, unrecognised force holding families together: Gogo. Grandmothers are the true heroes of our nation, bringing up millions of children in the face of hardship, loss and poverty, often without support and recognition. With HIV, unemployment and other socio-economic issues having torn through the fabric of many South African households, it is frequently Gogo who steps in to care for the youngest members of the family. In fact, an estimated one in three children in South Africa is brought up by a grandparent. These women are pillars of strength, love and resilience. They nurture children with wisdom passed down through generations, instilling values, providing meals with their limited resources and ensuring their grandchildren are safe and cared for. In many cases, they are doing this while grappling with their own health problems, financial strain and the trauma of having lost their own children. Nowhere is their influence more evident than in the critical early years of a child's life. In early childhood development (ECD), the role of a caregiver is central. Studies show that the quality of interaction and stimulation a child receives in their first five years directly affects their cognitive, emotional and physical development. Gogos, though often lacking formal training, naturally embody the foundational principles of ECD through storytelling, song, structured routines and consistent emotional support. There is an African proverb that honours grandmothers: 'A grandmother is a library.' This proverb speaks to the wisdom, stories, traditions and life lessons that grandmothers carry and pass down through generations. They are living repositories of knowledge and culture. But many of these grandmothers face immense difficulties in getting formal support systems or ECD resources. Too often, they are excluded from training opportunities and community programmes because they do not fit the typical profile of an ECD practitioner. Recognising and empowering gogos is vital to the success of any community-based ECD strategy. Programmes that include grandmothers in training, provide access to parenting resources and connect them to early-learning centres can significantly boost early-learning outcomes for vulnerable children. As a nation, it is time we celebrated gogos not just as caregivers, but as educators, nurturers and community builders. They should be empowered as key partners in bringing up the next generation. Theresa Michael is the chief executive of Afrika Tikkun Bambanani, which recognises grandmothers as primary caregivers, offering them parenting resources, training and access to early learning tools.
