Minister says 150,000 children are signed up for free childcare offer

MORE than 150,000 children have secured places on the Government’s free childcare scheme for two-year-olds, according to the Government.

As of Friday April 5, some 150,459 childcare codes have been validated by providers across England, meeting a target ministers had set for themselves.

The Department for Education believes thousands more places will be secured over the coming weeks.

The new scheme was rolled out on Monday, allowing working parents of two-year-olds access to 15 hours of Government-funded childcare each week.

This will be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from September this year, before the full rollout of 30 hours a week to all eligible families a year later.

It is aimed at helping parents juggle their caring responsibilities with returning to work, thereby boosting economic productivity.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “This Government is investing more than ever before in childcare, giving hard-working parents the support they need – so they no longer have to choose between having a family or a career.

“Our plan is working, with 150,459 more children now benefiting from quality childcare, and we expect more parents to take up the offer moving forward.

“Our childcare support is already helping well over a million families across the country, and we will stick to our plan to deliver a brighter future through security and certainty for hard-working parents.”

Childcare provider Iain Colledge, executive director of operations at Bright Horizons, welcomed the scheme.

He said: “We welcome the twoyear-old funding coming into effect.

“We are pleased that the persistence demonstrated by providers has resulted in driving progress in this area as sustainable funding rates and funding certainty are crucial for maintaining the health of the sector.”

But Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson claimed that ministers’ boasts will “ring hollow to thousands of parents who can’t find good nursery or childminder places for their children”.

She added: “Tory ministers are just showing how out of touch they are with families across the country.”