The UK government has unveiled a comprehensive plan to extend free childcare to working parents, marking a significant step in supporting families and encouraging workforce participation. Starting April 2024, parents of two-year-olds will receive 15 hours of free childcare weekly. This initiative expands further in September 2024 to include nine-month-olds, enabling them to access the same benefit. By September 2025, all children under five will be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare per week. This phased rollout aims to alleviate the financial burden on parents and foster economic growth by facilitating their return to work.
Currently, three and four-year-olds already benefit from 30 hours of free childcare weekly. The new measures intend to build on this foundation by gradually offering additional support for younger children. Alongside the expansion of free hours, the government plans to increase the hourly rate paid to childcare providers. This financial boost is designed to ensure providers can maintain quality services while accommodating the influx of young children under the scheme.
The Department for Education anticipates that the expanded program will require an additional 35,000 staff and 70,000 childcare places by September 2025. Efforts are already underway, with childcare staffing rising by 4% throughout 2023. However, the challenge remains significant, as fewer than a third of councils currently have sufficient spaces for under-twos in 2024.
The government hopes this initiative will empower parents to return to work by easing childcare costs. Despite these efforts, almost a quarter of parents (23%) report being unable to afford the supposedly free childcare hours due to top-up fees. This highlights an ongoing issue within the system, where additional charges can negate the benefits intended by the scheme.
To support families further, parents may also be eligible for other forms of assistance, including the UK-wide tax-free childcare scheme. This initiative aims to reduce financial pressure on families and encourage economic participation by offsetting some of the costs associated with childcare.
Nonetheless, the availability of childcare places remains a concern. The average cost of full-time nursery care (50 hours a week) for a child under two in Britain is projected to be £15,709 across 2024. With such high costs, it is crucial that the expanded free childcare scheme successfully provides adequate spaces and resources to meet demand.
