The rates of childcare professionals increase every year. But in a context of inflation and revaluation of early childhood professions, the increase for the start of the 2024 school year is a “record”, according to the Yoopies company barometer.
“I’m due at the end of October and I’m already looking for a nanny.” Sabrina is forward-thinking, she has already experienced this ordeal with her first child and does not want to wait for the second. Almost every day for the past month, she has been scouring Facebook groups and other dedicated sites to find the rare pearl who will look after her son from January. “It’s a real headache: when it’s not out of budget, it’s the schedules that don’t match”sighs this resident of the Paris region. The 33-year-old mother has registered for a place in a municipal nursery as a precaution, but she would prefer to find a childminder: “A baby requires a lot of attention, so it would reassure me and I am ready to pay a little more.”she explains.
“Every year I increase my salary by ten cents an hour”
A concern for many (future) parents that increases every year with the increase in the prices of childcare services. According to a barometer updated by Yoopies, a platform connecting professionals and families, the year 2024 is a «record». Carried out using data collected from Urssaf and added to its own statistics, the study estimates an increase in the average rate of 4.21% for childminders and 3.75% for home carers. “Usually the increase follows inflation, this is the first year that we have reached such an increase”assures Marie Cavillon, general manager of the company. And this for three reasons, according to her: “Firstly inflation, but also the revaluation of early childhood professions, and finally an increase in demand for quality childcare services, with flexible hours due to the return to face-to-face work”analyse Marie Cavillon.
On the professional side, this increase is not optional. “Every year I increase my salary by ten cents an hour for my new contracts”describes Florence (1), a childminder near Clermont-Ferrand. This nanny set her salary at 4.10 euros per employer, above the national average of 3.96 euros estimated by Yoopies (and 10.50 euros for home carers). “I am among the most expensive, but I explain this price to parents by my seniority: I have been doing this job for eighteen years. And as in any company, my experience counts.”she justifies herself.
This increase is also symptomatic, for Florence, of a profession subject to numerous constraints that many are unaware of. Childminders are employed by parents and are therefore subject to their decisions. “We often come across parents who think they can do whatever they want. I’ve had employers who asked me to go from forty to thirty hours a week overnight.”Florence gets annoyed. Faced with her refusal, the family has gradually established a hostile and tense climate with the childminder. “In these kinds of situations, we are left to our own devices, we have no one to turn to. I regularly see colleagues resign because they can no longer take the pressure.”she insists. And concludes, bitterly: “Now I don’t choose the children anymore, but the parents, it’s with them that it’s the most complicated.”
Aid offered by the State
Faced with the increasing costs of childcare services that are weighing more and more on family budgets, Marie Cavillon points out the existence of aid offered by the State. These include the free choice of childcare supplement calculated by the Family Allowance Fund or the tax credit for employing a home employee, which can cover up to 50% of initial expenses.
