Justin Tomlinson MP has welcomed the news that Swindon will lead the way in extending free childcare for 3 & 4 year olds from 15 hours a week to 30 hours, after it was announced the town will be one of the first in the country to roll out the programme.
Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah has announced £13 million funding which will allow councils across the country to deliver 30 hours of free childcare for hardworking parents of three- and four-year-olds – a year ahead of schedule. The extra hours of childcare will make it easier for parents to work and is another move designed to meet the Government’s commitment to make work pay. Early Innovators in each local cluster will work together to focus on Special Educational Needs and Disability, flexibility, availability of places, and making work pay.
The additional 15 hours of free childcare is available for families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone-parent family), and each parent earns the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the national minimum or living wage, and earns less than £100,000 a year.
All three and four year olds are already entitled to 15 hours of free childcare a week, and this is also extended to the most disadvantaged two-year-olds. Last year, more than 1 million three- and four-year-olds, and 157,000 two-year-olds benefited from this offer.
The Government is now going further than ever before, and will provide an additional 15 free hours to working parents of three- and four-year-olds from September 2017 – delivering on a key manifesto pledge. As part of this Government’s commitment to helping hardworking people, we will be investing more than £1bn extra per year by 2019-20 to fund the extension of the free childcare entitlement.
The Department for Education will also be piloting a new contract with councils, and consulting on a fairer funding formula for the early years, to help ensure that local authorities are passing the money on to providers, and that providers are given a fair rate.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: "I am delighted that once again Swindon is leading the way. The Conservatives will always support hardworking parents and we committed to do more on childcare. This announcement mean that children in Swindon will be the first in the country to benefit from the extension of free childcare and parents will see a real difference."
Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, said: “For too long, rising childcare costs have been a barrier preventing parents and particularly mothers from working. That’s why I’m delighted that in just a few months’ time, we will see the first families benefitting from the government’s offer of 30 hours’ free childcare for working parents. We have made a commitment to help working people, and through this extended offer we will help thousands more parents who want to return to work to do so.”
Childcare Minister, Sam Gyimah, said: “I know how important childcare is from my own personal experience, and I couldn’t be more determined to make sure we give children the best start in life, support parents to work, and as a result, allow our country to prosper. I’m pleased that we are investing in childcare, and I’m looking forward to seeing how working parents benefit from 30 hours free childcare, before we roll the offer out to the rest of the country.”
