n the Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the current scheme offering some families 30 free hours of childcare per week would be extended to cover younger children.
The changes will be phased in for households in England where the parent or parents earn at least £152 a week but less than £100,000 a year:
- April 2024: Eligible two-year-olds will get 15 hours of free childcare per week
- September 2024: Eligible children between nine months and two years will get 15 hours
- September 2025: Eligible children between nine months and three years will get 30 hours
The move could allow 60,000 more parents of young children to enter the workforce, according to the government’s independent forecaster, the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR).
But Paul Johnson, from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), said he doubted the changes would make “a big difference” and they may help only “a few tens of thousands” of parents return to work.
By BBC News