Children: Day Care

(asked on 13th September 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that 30 hours free childcare is (a) flexible and (b) free of additional charges for those who are eligible.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 11th October 2018

We want to ensure that 30 hours free childcare is flexible and meets parental need. That is why the offer can be ‘stretched’, by taking fewer hours per week over more than 38 weeks of the year to cover term-time and the school holidays. For example, 23 hours could be offered over 48 weeks of the year and can be delivered at weekends. We are also encouraging partnerships between providers to support flexible provision. Our operational guidance emphasises that children should be able to take their free hours as part of continuous provision and providers should avoid artificial breaks in the day wherever possible.

We are clear that government funding intends to deliver 30 hours of high quality childcare and that providers are able to charge parents for additional extras such as meals or consumables. These charges cannot be a condition of a place and providers should ensure that their charging policies are transparent, so parents can make informed decisions on their choice of childcare.

Evidence from the evaluation of the first year of national rollout of 30 hours free childcare, showed that 68% of providers offering the extended hours did not change their parent paid fees or introduce or increase additional charges because of these hours.

We have announced a year extension to our delivery contractor, Childcare Works, and will continue to work with them to monitor the delivery of 30 hours free childcare in the second year of national rollout.

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