Delivery of New Extended Free 15/30 hours Childcare in 2024

Jinglish

Our child turns 3 mid April 2024 and under the current system qualifies for the "30 hours" of funding however this cannot be claimed until the 1st Sept 2024, (we will miss out on nearly 5 months of funding but that's another matter!).

However... the saving grace was in the Spring budget when the chancellor announced that it would be extended (15hours to stat with) to cover 2 year olds from April 2024, but what is not clear is how this will be delivered. I can't find any information online and called HMRC childcare services and they were not sure either. My understanding is that if the new changes are to take effect in April 2024 then the current term start date of 1st Sept would have to be scrapped otherwise every single person eligible cannot claim until September, which would not go down well especially with a general election in that period. So I can only conclude that term start dates would need to be scrapped/adjusted to account for this change? Can anyone confirm....

1) Eligible 2 year old children can claim their 15hours immediately after (or very close to) their 2nd birthday, when the first phase of the scheme is launched in April 2024?

2) The increase to 30hours would increase from the term after they are 3 (current system) or immediately (or very close to) when they turn 3?

I hope the above make sense and you can see the gap that is created if the current rules were just simply "extended" without changing the start dates.

sheramber

The government has yet to confirm when eligibility for the new offers for under-threes will kick in, or how soon parents can apply.

https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/free-childcare-offers-what-parents-and-carers-need-know

Jinglish

Sorry I forgot to feed it back here but Claire Coutinho MP wrote to me on this in Aug ...

"From April 2024, all eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access their 15 hours of free childcare (over 38 weeks a year) from the term after their child’s 2nd birthday.

From September 2024, eligible parents will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare (over 38 weeks a year) from the term following their child turning 9 months; and the offer will be rolled out in full, from September 2025, with eligible working parents of children aged 9 months and above able to access 30 hours (over 38 weeks a year) from the term following their child turning 9 months old.

The process for parents claiming the entitlements will be the same as the existing 30 hours free childcare application process, with eligibility checks processed through HM Revenue and Customs. Parents will remain able to check what childcare support they are entitled to via the Childcare Choices website.

We will provide further details on how the expansion of the entitlements will be delivered in due course.

The termly deadlines for the free early education entitlements ensure that children can receive at least two years of early education and / or reception before they reach compulsory school age (which is the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday). The termly deadlines also allow LAs and childcare providers to better plan and ensure sufficient early years places are available for parents each term, as there are clear periods for when children are likely to start a place."