Children’s Activities Unaffected by Credit Crunch, Survey Finds

• Wednesday, 12 November 2008

Talking Tots Reveals Only 10% of Parents Will cut Spending on Their Children in ‘09

Lytham, 12 November 2008: Britain might be in the middle of a credit crunch, but 90% of parents say they won’t reduce spending on pre-school activities, according to a new survey conducted by children’s activity franchise Talking Tots.

Talking Tots surveyed 1,000 parents across the UK and found that half of parents expect to increase spending on preschool activities in 2009, while another 40% expect their spending to remain the same. If parents need to save money, 80% would cut back on eating out or buying new clothes before reducing spending on pre-school activities.

The survey also found that that 85% of parents attend at least one paid-for activity each week, while half attend more than one class. The most popular classes included communication and development classes, baby yoga and swimming classes. “Our survey confirms what we are seeing on a daily basis, which is that parents see pre-school activities as really important for children’s development, as well as being great fun,” says Lisa Houghton, co-founder of Talking Tots.

Parents responding to the Talking Tots survey spend an average of £650 a year on activity groups and classes, with a typical class costing around £5. Parents in many areas of the UK spent far more, with 10% of parents spending more than £1,000 a year on toddler activities and classes.

“This is a great market to be in during an economic downturn, and the huge advantage of buying a franchise is that you’re investing in a proven business model and you have the back-up of the franchisor to help get your business up and running,” says Lisa Houghton. “You can be your own boss and have the flexibility that involves, while also benefiting from the training and assistance of the franchisor.”

Talking Tots is the UK’s fastest-growing pre-school franchise, opening 20 franchises across the UK in just 12 months. The company, based in Lancashire, now operates in 21 locations around the UK, with more franchises launching in the coming months. The company was founded in 2005 by Tracey Park and Lisa Houghton, two experienced paediatric speech and language therapists. Talking Tots classes use carefully-designed games and activities to help build children’s communication skills and social confidence.

Key Survey Findings

* 90% of parents attend at least one organised activity with their children each week.

* The most popular pre-school activities are swimming (attended by 60% of toddlers), communication and development classes (attended by 40% of respondents) and singing groups (35%).

* When asked what they would be prepared to sacrifice to pay for their child’s activities, 81% of parents would stop eating out, 75% would reduce spending on toys and presents, while 64% would spend less on new clothes.

About Talking Tots:

Full survey results, images and interviews available on request. Contact the press office on (01253) 731 986 or email press@talkingtots.info

Talking Tots (www.talkingtots.info) is the UK’s fastest growing pre-school activity group, providing classes that help children aged 12 months to 4 years to communicate with confidence. Talking Tots recently won the “Best Innovation” award in the 2008 What’s on 4 Little Ones Awards, and was highly commended in the “Best Toddler Development” category.

-ENDS-

This press release was distributed via SourceWire, a service from Daryl Willcox Publishing, on behalf of Talking Tots. For more information visit http://www.dwpub.com/pressreleasewires