Extended Free Childcare Under Threat as Nursery Closures Rise

Extended Free Childcare Under Threat as Nursery Closures Rise

The government’s planned expansion of the 30 hours ‘free’ childcare is under threat as nearly 9 out of 10 councils warn that significant nursery closures will hinder the successful delivery of the childcare scheme.

Between March 2021 and March 2022, the number of childcare providers in the UK dropped by over 4,000 amid staffing shortages and funding challenges, largely driven by the ongoing decline in the number of childminders. Speaking on the matter, the Local Government Association Chairwoman Cllr Louise Gittins said that while the childcare reform is a positive step in the right direction, there are “serious concerns about the ability of local areas to secure nursery places, with capacity issues providing challenges to the universal rollout of the extended offer.”

Currently, eligible parents of 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to 30 funded hours 38 weeks of the year. Back in March the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, announced during the Budget plans to expand free childcare to include working parents with children aged 9 months to five years old. The phased-out reform is expected to conclude by September 2025, with eligible working parents of two years old beginning to have access to a limited 15 hours of free childcare per week from April 2024. The LGA calls for stronger powers to be given to local councils to manage their own childcare provision and for the government’s planned recruitment drive to tackle staffing challenges. 

A Department for Education spokesperson commented that “to make sure there are enough places across the country we will be investing hundreds of millions of pounds each year to increase the amounts we pay providers to offer places and will be consulting on how we distribute funding to make sure it is fair across all areas of the country.”