According to the survey of 100 day nurseries across England carried out in the past two months, 86 per cent of nursery staff said they felt their salaries to be either 'poor or too low'. Only 13 per cent regarded what they are earning as 'fair'.
The survey found that nursery managers now earn around 19,200 a year, up 8 per cent from 17,785 in 2001-02, while assistant managers earn just under 15,000 - a 6 per cent rise on just over 14,000 the year before. Team leaders are on salaries of about 13,100, up 5 per cent on around 12,500 in 2001-02. Qualified nursery nurses are earning just over 11,600 compared to just under 10,900 the year before - up 7 per cent, and unqualified nursery assistants are on 10,080, up 8 per cent from 9,335. The average overall year-on-year salary increase was 6.8 per cent - almost double the rate of inflation.
When asked what benefits they were given, just over half (52 per cent) of nursery staff said subsidised childcare, while 39 per cent said pensions and 13 per cent private health insurance.
Each nursery employed an average of 14 staff, of which just under a quarter worked part-time. The annual rate of staff turnover was 19 per cent, and just under half of the nurseries said they experienced daily or monthly staff shortages.
Oliver Black, director of Tinies, expressed surprise at the turn-over rate.
He said, 'Companies in other sectors with an annual staff turnover of 6 to 7 per cent are seen as haemorrhaging. The 19 per cent turnover rate means that one in five nurseries have to recruit new staff each year.'
Mr Black added that the tax credits introduced by the Government 'have made no difference in raising salaries' and called instead for 'broader' tax cuts to make childcare more affordable to parents. He also argued that salaries comparable to nursing or teaching would attract people back into the early years sector, with a newly-qualified nurse on 13,485 and a nursing manager with five years of working in wards on between 23,000 and Pounds 27,000 a year.
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said the survey confirmed its own research. Rosemary Murphy, NDNA chief executive, added, 'Until salaries can be addressed by more support for parents paying fees, staff recruitment and retention in day nurseries will always be an uphill battle.'
* See In my view on page 34.
