Melted Parents NI

05/08/2026

This week our inbox got busy with yet another issue NI parents face: children born in July or August lose their Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) eligibility the moment they turn 11 - and consequently lose NICSS too - even though they’re only going into P7 and plenty of families still need that childcare, whether it’s an after-school club or a childminder.

Swipe back through the last 4 slides and you’ll see the Executive knows about this. The first letter on record dates back to February, but it’s now August and nothing’s changed.

Are we even surprised?🫠

We get that TFC is a UK-wide scheme run by HMRC. But NICSS is a local programme, and this issue should’ve been flagged the moment it was designed - there should be a fix for NI families regardless of what happens with TFC.

And considering TFC launched back in 2017, it’s honestly wild that it’s taken nearly a decade for our Executive to notice this and start talking to HMRC about it.

This is also a cross departmental issue, involving the Department of Education NI, the Department of Finance and HMRC. From what we can see, there’s no clear sign of these departments working together to actually fix it - and parents shouldn’t be the ones caught in the middle while responsibility gets passed around.

This needs sorted now - but while these parents are dealing with yet another added stress, our Executive is on a two month summer recess.🤷‍♀️

Also, this is another group of parents falling through the cracks of a childcare strategy that’s meant to work for them.

30/07/2026

Another small provider has closed its doors - leaving families scrambling with days’ notice and staff going unemployed.

Childcare is called “a priority” in every press release, but when parents ask their MLA for help, suddenly it’s “a private business matter, nothing to do with us.”

Imagine that response from the people meant to be running the Executive?🫠

This isn’t a one-off - this is what happens when childcare is treated as a private problem instead of public infrastructure.

We hope our Executive are enjoying their summer break - unfortunately Taryn, the other parents from her nursery, the suddenly unemployed staff and the struggling owner sure aren’t.

26/06/2026

Happy Friday everyone - or not 🫠

Pamela messaged us about her eligibility for Tax-Free Childcare - but the reality is that this situation will also affect her family’s eligibility for the Subsidy Scheme.

And this is exactly the kind of family we talk about every time we discuss the NICSS. Department of Education NI says that the scheme supports ‘hardworking families’ but there’s no shortage of families that fall through the cracks, like Pamela’s - and can you honestly say they are not ‘hardworking’?

The NICSS needs to support ALL families - hardworking families in every sense of the word.

And before anyone suggests the UC route - used by so many other hardworking families - it would take 5 weeks to process with costs still due upfront. 🫠

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Did you find a way through? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

In the meantime, we’d advise Pamela to reach out to Advice NI or the Employers for Childcare helpline for guidance on her options.

And it’s worth noting - everything we’ve said here applies to Tax-Free Childcare too, and it’s something we’ve already raised with our local MPs.

25/06/2026

A little over two years ago, the NI Childcare Subsidy Scheme was first announced - shortly after the Executive was restored and childcare was named a day one priority.

You’d expect real progress by now, right? Well, Kathryn’s message says it all…

As Stormont heads into their annual two-month summer recess next week, here’s what was delivered:

👉 A Childcare Strategy that went to consultation - and never came back with a final plan.
👉 A proposal to increase the NICSS subsidy from 15% to 20% from April 2026 - never happened.
👉 Childcare bills that are higher now than before the subsidy even existed.

And the list goes on…

Kathryn is paying £981 a month for summer childcare in 2026. She paid £838 in 2024 - before NICSS was even implemented.

Must be nice to have a summer break.🫠

09/06/2026

Hi everyone,

You may have seen the news about the attack in North Belfast last night. Our thoughts are with the victim and their family - this was a horrific experience that no one should ever have to go through.

We are aware that protests are being organised in response to this event and we know this is causing real fear and anxiety - particularly for families and individuals from migrant and ethnic minority communities, who may be feeling especially unsafe right now.

We’re asking everyone in our community - parents, childcare providers and employers - to:

• Check in on your friends, neighbours and colleagues from migrant or ethnic minority backgrounds. A simple message, a knock on the door or a kind word can mean so much right now. Let them know they are not alone.

• Be aware of your surroundings and avoid any situations or gatherings that feel tense or uncertain. Please prioritise your safety and the safety of those around you.

• If you have children, talk to them about what they may be seeing or hearing and reassure them.

• If you are an employer or childcare provider, please reach out to your staff - particularly anyone who may be feeling vulnerable - and make clear that they are valued and supported. If anyone has concerns about travelling to or from work, please do what you can to help.

Our community looks out for one another. Let’s make sure nobody feels alone or afraid today.

If you have any safety concerns, please contact the .official on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

05/06/2026

🚨First Minister .oneill.sf has called for caps on childcare prices - and yes, we’ve been saying this for years.

We’re obviously glad to see that conversation is finally happening at the very top, but we have to be honest - we are not sure what changed…

The draft Early Learning & Childcare Strategy - which had to be approved by the Executive before it was published - explicitly commits to NOT capping fees. Instead, it promises subsidies that increase with inflation at around 2% per year, while childcare fees are rising at 12% - we’ve done the maths.

So when we hear the First Minister calling for caps now, we’re asking the obvious question: what changed? And more importantly - what does this mean for the final strategy?

Melted Parents NI has been calling for fee regulation since day one, and we know better than anyone that warm words don’t pay childcare bills.

We’ll be watching closely. We’ll be pushing hard. And we’ll keep holding every party and every minister to account - regardless of who’s saying the right thing today.

If caps are genuinely on the table, we want to see them in writing, in the final strategy - like what is already happening in the Republic of Ireland.

And speaking of accountability - we’ve been reviewing the Programme for Government report, and we’ll be sharing our full fact-check this weekend. Spoiler: there’s a narrative being built that doesn’t represent the reality for families and we are not surprised. Stay tuned. 👀

Parents, tell us: do you think this will actually happen? Share your thoughts below. 👇

14/05/2026

Price increases don’t always look like price increases.👀

We received this message in April - 3 months notice that nursery is closing the entire month of July.

The pressure this places on families to arrange childcare cover, sort annual leave, ask family to support where possible, the disruption for the children used to a routine… still paying a £2k bill for a service you’re not receiving.

Private day nurseries are a part of both a families life and economic infrastructure - they also receive Government money into their private businesses.

This is why we believe the childcare strategy must go beyond addressing costs. It needs to set clear guidance for providers - ensuring consistency, transparency and fairness for every family relying on these services.

30/04/2026

22/04/2026

Erin’s story is one we hear more often than people might think - and one that gets left out of the conversation when childcare support is framed as something only “working families” deserve.

She was pregnant during the pandemic, made redundant, and when the time came to return to work she and her partner worked out that childcare would cost more than she could earn. She ended up taking five years out to care for her children and her mum, and the only way she has managed to get back into employment is by working evenings and Saturdays - something she’s glad to be doing, but which comes with its own pressures on family life.

Erin’s point is a simple one: not every parent who isn’t in paid work has chosen that, and the childcare crisis affects far more than just those who are employed. Childcare isn’t a reward for working - it’s something that supports children, families and communities and the conversation around who deserves help needs to reflect that.

It’s concerning to see this narrative being pushed by the Executive and so prominent in the draft strategy - because when policy is built around the idea that only working parents deserve support, it leaves behind exactly the people who need it most. Erin’s story is not an exception. It’s a pattern, and one that is becoming more and more common as the childcare crisis prices parents out of work entirely, pushing them into the very situation they’re then told disqualifies them from help.

03/04/2026

Happy Easter 🐣 - or not…

Since yesterday, our inbox has been inundated with messages from very upset parents who got surprised by their second fee rise of the year - the third in 13 months.

Unlike our Executive, these parents are not able to enjoy their break as they are now concerned about being able to afford childcare from June when the new fee structure is introduced.

Since last May, Aimee’s bill has gone up by 16% - while the 15% Subsidy Scheme that was allegedly going up by 5% has only had its cap increased by £19. 🫠

Brianna, who needs full time childcare, will now have a bill of £18,200/year (before NICSS and TFC) - if prices don’t go up again in 6 months. 😫

Lanna is also at the same setting - and facing her second increase in six months, from £67.50 a day in January to £75 a day from June, an 11.1% rise, with a new late collection penalty of £35 minimum and a £50 disruption charge added on top.

And Barbara, currently on maternity leave, due to have her baby next week - who enrolled her first child in March last year and has watched the fees rise astronomically twice in the space of twelve months, with no sign of it stopping. She’s now beyond stressed trying to work out how she returns to work and affords two children in daycare with no family support, something she shouldn’t have to be dealing with the week before she gives birth.

These parents, like so many others, are watching whatever the subsidy was supposed to give back get swallowed up within months. This is exactly what we mean when we say that subsidies without price controls and appropriate support for struggling providers are not effective - they are a transfer of public money straight into unchecked fee inflation.

Parents, keep messaging us, sharing your stories and, if you haven’t yet, please complete our price tracker. The link is in our bio.👆

We know the consultation on the draft Strategy is closed, but, unlike the , we won’t overlook lived experience - and we’ll keep fighting for a better childcare system that supports all. ✊
givan.mla .little.pengelly .oneill.sf