Free 30 hours childcare extended to 1 year and 2 years old.. Also schools to provide wraparound care for 8am to 6pm.

[anonymousxoxo]

I don’t know all the details, but read this earlier on Instagram. Made me so happy!

I’ll happily pay more taxes to fund this.

No more excuses from men saying “oh we can’t afford childcare, can you take the hit on your career because you earn less than me?” Cough cough, gender pay gap but I digress.

Woman don’t have to sacrifice their career and do low paid jobs (nothing wrong with low paying jobs), but men flourish with higher salary, promotions, good career and pension benefits.

This is exactly what we needed.

Please don’t make this a WOHM/SAHM bash thread, I’m just so happy to hear that stupid 3 year gap has gone. I just want every woman to be financially independent, with means to leave a bad situation.

My school had to close it's after-school club as it was impossible to find staff. There aren't that many people that want to work from 3-6 every day. If this is going to happen, there needs to be enough funding to make childcare an attractive job.

My wraparound provider (not school) closed down because they couldn't recruit staff apparently.
My school won't open one as they say there isn't enough demand for paid after school care (although I can't understand how that can be the case)

I live in Europe in a country where this funding is the norm. A difference would be the school hours meaning that the wraparound care isn’t just 3 hours a day. Earlier finishes and lunch breaks exclusively managed by the “out of school” structures means that employment in this sector is full time, and compensated on the principle that this is part of the overall learning experience of children. As a working parent it is perfect, as technically from 7am until 7pm there is state funded education in place (of course the non-core school hours aren’t mandatory). I think to make this feasible for the uk a similar approach might be needed.

And how do they plan to fund this? That's what they would be asking labour if they proposed this.

Or are they just saying any old shit now on the basis that they don't need to worry about the delivery until after the election and then it will be someone else's problem

I think someone saying something will happen in a few years with no idea how it possibly could and it actually happening are very different. Don't hold your breathe!

Its term time only

Exactly. A pathetically obvious attempt to try to appeal to younger voters IMO. They will never fund it properly. And if the whole point of reforms is that there’s a labour shortage where the hell are they going to get all the extra nursery workers to cover all the extra places from?

The government haven’t funded nurseries properly for years. This news is a further blow. If you want quality provision it needs to be fully funded. What a dangerous tactic from the government who have clearly chosen not to listen to what the nurseries have been trying to speak out about for a very long time. Why not start by actually fully funding the 3 year old 30 free hours rather than stretching out the pittance they give the settings?

Ageee with others, the wraparound plan is unworkable and the extended free hours isn't costed to make it viable. This is designed for votes with no intention of having to make it a reality. It's a real shame as better childcare provision with proper investment would be a huge step forward, albeit to late for me!q

The current state is totally broken- the funding is so low EY settings can’t retain staff and pay them well. The funding is so low settings are closing left and right.

More “funded” hours is the nail in the coffin for settings and by extension working parents, and usually that means mums.

It’s a bloody disgrace and the whole situation today is far too little too late. Tory Jokers can fuck off

Who on earth would go into the chilcare sector? Under valued and underpaid. Ofsted on your back nightmare.

The current funding is a nightmare, also under funded. Champagne nurseries on lemonade funding.

I will watch with interest.

Yeah this too, I would love a 4 day working week but it isn’t likely to happen

With a magic money tree probably

I don’t get how government find money to raise salaries and other crap they do, but the things that matter there’s no money.

Ps I’ve said above I’m happy to pay subsidised cost, it’s just that £2,000 a month per child is so expensive. Just needs to be cheaper.

yes shorter working weeks. Honestly I don't know any working parents with young kids who want to do full time long hours even with more childcare help. My friend will soon have 2 small kids and condenses 5 days into 4 long days. It's exhausting. Maybe increasing childcare help will actually mean some parents will reduce hours. If 30 free hours term time equates to around 24 hours a week funding and people are getting it all covered, they will actually drop their hours to spend more time with their kids.

Am just wondering where there going to pull all the extra Nursery staff from to accommodate all the extra children. No one wants to work in Nurseries as it is an most only do it untill something better payed comes along!

So yes it's great send all these young children to understaffed over worked Nurseries all for a quarter off the price.

I guess they are hoping for the increased taxes from these million more women working or suddenly upping their hours, but it's going to take a long time to make itself pay ! the costs will be eye watering especially if they are saying they are going to fund nurseries better and increase wraparound care as well.

There is no current mechanism for parents to “top up” the funded hours.

Yeah, sorry but this will be pie in the sky. They can "promise" what they like, but they can't force anyone to do it, and they can't magic staff up to deliver it. Around here childcare provision is dropping off the charts. They can't operate on the money available, and the can't find enough staff either.

My school won't open one as they say there isn't enough demand for paid after school care (although I can't understand how that can be the case)

@purpleme12 Our school offer wrap around care and the number of children using it has drastically reduced in the last few years. We suspect it's the increase in WFH has had a big impact on our numbers. Parents either have the children at home while they finish the last hour of work, or they're able to collect their children earlier as there's no work commute.

Oh gosh this is so true