Erewash MP Maggie Throup OBE, has welcomed the roll-out of the largest expansion of childcare in England’s history with eligible working parents of two-year-olds now able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week.
Currently, working families in England with children aged three to four-years-old are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare for 38 weeks of the year – a total of 1,140 hours per year. From 1 April, the Government extended the childcare package so that eligible working parents of two-year-olds can now access 15 hours of childcare support per week.
From September 2024, working parents with children from the age of nine months until they start school will be able to benefit from 15 hours of free childcare per week. This will be expanded again in September 2025 with working parents of children under the age of five able to benefit from 30 hours free childcare per week.
Maggie said: “Too many families in Erewash are held back from returning to work once they have had children because the cost of childcare is too high.
“But the Government is putting an end to this, and eligible parents of two-year-olds are now able to access 15 hours of Government-funded childcare a week, with the expansion to go further this year and next, empowering parents to return to work whilst raising a family.
“Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a plan, and it is working – and we must stick to that plan to continue supporting parents in their careers, whilst also ensuring a brighter future for the next generation.”
A statement from Ms Throup's office said that, in addition to delivering the largest expansion of childcare in England’s history, 96 per cent of early education providers are now rated good or outstanding under the Conservatives – up from just 68 per cent in 2010, giving parents what was described as "a massive confidence boost in the standards of this provision."
It also claimed that, under Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives, the plan was working. It continued; "If we stick to the plan, we can continue to deliver on our promise of providing parents with the choice to either stay at home to raise the next generation or return to work to contribute to our economy, empowering them to secure the brighter future for themselves and their families."