Parents can go online to find out what childcare they are eligible for under plans which will see nurseries expanded to provide more places and funding given to councils for wraparound care.
Further details of the previously-announced reforms to allow some families of children as young as nine months to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week – set out by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the March Budget – have been announced.
The Department for Education said parents in England can visit an eligibility checker online to see what they are entitled to, depending on their earnings and their child’s age.
The Government said £100 million is being made available for nursery and early years places, with funding intended to support childcare settings to increase their physical space, which the department said is anticipated to add thousands of new places across the country.
Following Mr Hunt’s target for all schools to be able to offer care either side of the school day by September 2026, local authorities will also now be getting details of how much of the £289 million wraparound fund they will receive – based on “anticipated need”.
