JEREMY Hunt laid out plans for the UK economy during his Spring Budget, including seven big changes to childcare.
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday (March 15), the Chancellor announced 30 hours free childcare will be extended to parents with children aged nine months to two-years-old.
But the Government is extending it out in a phased approach so you won’t get help straight away.
It came as Mr Hunt announced:
- the number of kids per staff member in nurseries will rise from four to five, but the changes will be optional
- nurseries will receive more funding
- parents on Universal Credit will have childcare costs paid by the government up front from summer 2023
- the maximum amount families on Universal Credit can claim for childcare will be increased by hundreds of pounds from summer 2023
- people who take a childminder job will receive £600 while agency workers who take a childminder job will receive £1,200 as part of a pilot scheme
- schools will receive more funding to provide wraparound childcare
When will 30 hours free childcare start?
Currently in England, all parents of three and four-year-olds can claim 570 hours of free childcare a year, which equates to 15 hours a week.
Some parents can get 30 hours a week too, depending on their circumstances.
Eligibility depends on a number of factors, including whether you are working, your income and immigration status.
In the Spring Budget yesterday (March 15), the Chancellor announced some parents with children aged nine months to two-years-old will start to receive free childcare over the next two years.
From April 2024, working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week.
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This will be extended to working parents of nine-month-olds to two-year-olds from September 2024.
Then, from September 2025, all eligible working parents of children aged nine months up to three years will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare a week.
Parents who already receive 30 hours free childcare for a three or four-year-old currently will carry on receiving the help.
In Budget documents, the Government said it hoped the extension of free childcare will remove “one of the biggest barriers to parents working”.
How can I apply for free childcare?
As it stands, you can apply for 15 hours free childcare through a nearby childcare provider or your local council.
If you don’t know what council area you fall under, you can find it by using the Government’s council locator tool.
Meanwhile, you can apply for 30 hours free childcare on the government’s website.
You just have to type “30 hours free childcare” into Google and it should be the first link to click.
You can apply for 30 hours free childcare from when your child is two years and 36 weeks old.
But depending on when they reach that age, you will start receiving the free childcare help from different dates.
Once you have applied for a childcare account you get a code which you have to give to your provider.
You should check with your childcare provider to find out the exact date your 30 hours of free childcare will start.
Crucially, you have to reconfirm your eligibility every three months.
It’s not yet clear how people will be able to apply for free childcare when it is extended from April 2024.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk