Childcare hours

[CelinePB]

Hi,

I'm planning to move back to the uk next year and I saw online that there is talk of 3 year olds being offered 30 hours free childcare a week (at a nursery)...does anyone know if this is true? Is it available to everyone or means tested?

Thank you

[ohidoliketobe]

www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-of-parents-benefit-from-30-hours-free-childcare-early

Here's the info. It's meant to be coming in Sept 2017, and from memory you're eligible if one parent / guardian/ sole custodian is working at least 16 hours week

[LittleNelle]

It's been proposed by the government for families where both parents work. However, they are not putting enough funding into it or taking into account that there physically aren't enough nursery spaces available. I'm sceptical that it will actually happen.

[CelinePB]

Ok great thank you. I presume self employed would be acceptable? I'll look into it again next year but if I am correct it is currently 15 hours?

[LittleNelle]

Currently 15 hours a week term times.

[CelinePB]

Great thank you for the info. It will be a bit of a shock. I pay around €150 a month for 4 days a week, 8 hours a day, private (vetted and registered, I'll just add) childminder. Childcare in France is very heavily subsidised.

[Dlah]

If you are a two parent familyC both parents must work at least 16 hours a week on the living wage or higher to be eligible and single parent families - just the one parent.

There are 5 councils that have been selected to start it from this September 2016 as the pilot - I can't recall them all off top of head but fairly spread over the country