Petition childcare - Abolish the four to one rule

Amazingly, childcare providers in Britain are forced by the Government to recruit one member of staff for every 4 children in attendance. This is excessive and the associated staffing costs are causing Childcare in the UK to be the most expensive in Europe. Prohibitive childcare costs are forcing young Mothers out of work and into a lifetime of dependence on benefits, adding to Britain's crippling welfare burden. Nurseries. facing excessive staffing costs due to this rule, are forced to cut back on quality in order to keep their fees at a level people can pay. Daycare centres in other Countries (e.g. Germany, France and Denmark) are permitted a staff to child ratio of EIGHT to one, allowing them to recruit lower numbers of better qualified carers for a far lower cost to parents. In line with its "Get Britain working" strategy, the British Government must changing the mandated child to carer ratio for Day nurseries to eight to one immediately.