New funded childcare hours for 2 year olds from April 2024

[Winterday1991]

Does anyone have any information on this?

Will it be for all 2 year olds from April 2024 or will it be for the term after your child is 2 to get the 15 'free' hours?

Term after they turn 2. But recent survey of nurseries found only 17% will be able to afford to offer it so don’t get your hopes up!

Do you have a source for this? I can't see anything. Baby is 2 at end of May does that mean we have to wait until September?!

https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/early-years-childcare/expansion-to-funding/expansion-to-early-years-funding-from-april-2024.aspx

random local authority website. But as I said you’ll want to check your provider is offering funded places. They don’t have to.

Yes likely to be September. Although as pps have said it’s not guaranteed your nursery will offer this. Labour may change it too so it may not exist soon.

Look up pregnant then screwed on Instagram they did a video on the subject yesterday. Any child born after March has to wait until September for funding under the current rules and I think if the new ones happen it will be the same. It's a nightmare as we had to wait months for our 30 hours funding.

Isn’t this only England as well? Wales haven’t introduced anything as far as I’m aware.

I’d be stunned if this goes ahead whoever is in power. It’s a vote grab.

there’s no thought or backing behind it at all, nurseries can’t afford it; the change to ratios it was based on has been scrapped, and there’s been no info on it.

but if it does come off, it’ll be the term after they’re two, with the usual £100k income cut off, and only if your nursery can afford to and chooses to honour it.

Pretty much everyone has to wait. Someone with a baby born in April will be waiting two more months for their childcare than someone with a child born in September. The advantage for those with babies born March-August is that they don’t have another year of nursery costs before they start school, assuming they don’t defer for a year.

Yup, it's always been like that for three year old hours so likely to be the same. It's from the start of the term after their birthday. Ours was Feb so had to wait until after Easter in May.

I don't see how the government can renege on it

Because the Govt in power at the time is almost certainly going to be different to the Govt who blithely announced it!

You can sign up now to get updates, it is going to happen. Im sorry I don't have the site address but I have signed up

They announced it because there's a General Election coming and they want your vote.

Well part of the scheme is pre general election and the bulk of it comes in after, how convenient!

There won't be a general election before April, by which date the policy will already be implemented.

Even if they don’t it’ll be irrelevant if providers don’t opt to do it.

The government could say they’re offering 8-6 free childcare with lunch and dinner 52 weeks a year, but it means nothing if no nurseries sign up.

the childcare sector have said very clearly they can’t afford this. 0-2s currently subsidise the current funded hours so making them funded makes it unaffordable. 17% have said they’ll offer it - so you’ll be very lucky if your nursery or a local one opt in.

The April date is only one small part of the childcare announcement, it is a phased plan until September 2025.

It is starting in April for over 2s though, which will probably be before the general election.

I'd be a bit surprised if they binned that bit now, it would be a big change.

I wouldn't however be surprised if they went ahead with it, knowing it's expensive and doesn't funded providers properly, but not caring because they'll be out of office and labour will have to change it and deal with the fall out. I doubt it will go ahead for children aged 9 months - 2 years.

Sorry, I should make clear, the April 2024 introduction for over 2s is only the 15 hours. I'd be surprised if that specific bit was cancelled.

It wouldn't really be a big change - nobody has signed up for it as they've announced no further details, so no nurseries have any details on how they're expected to make this work.

It was initially going to work because the ratios for 2 year olds would be changed, so you could have more children to less staff, and that made it more financially viable. They've already reneged on that change.

Also, if no nurseries can offer it, they can say - "Well, we tried!". So far less than 17% of nurseries think they can offer this. It'll be immensely good luck for anyone's specific nursery to do so.

It's a vote-winner. They haven't thought it out enough to intend it as an actual policy that stands the test of time.

I'd save a small fortune if it came in; but I'd also be really worried about the quality of care, and I just can't see it happening.

It's a vote-winner.

Which is why I don't think, a few months before a general election, they'll announce the whole lot is cancelled.

I do think just the 15 hours for 2 years olds might come in though, the only bit that's pre-election. With the rest scrapped.

Am in the same boat OP... DD3 is 2 start of May.

Her nursery announced this week they are closing the baby room end of next month. She can go back when she's 2...