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Free Childcare To Double From 15 Hours A Week To 30 Hours

By Lisa Hayes, 9 years ago

If you're anything like me then you won't have been going through the Queen's Speech with a fine toothed comb to see what was in store from the new Conservative Government, but the headlines about the doubling of free childcare provision may well have caught your attention.

The big announcement for parents was that the government funded childcare provision for pre-school children aged 3 and 4 will double from 15 hours a week to 30 hours a week for working parents. Headline grabbing for sure, but how will it work?

At present the 15 hours of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds is almost universal, but the extra 15 hours that are promised will be available if both parents are working. The details are still unclear but there have been suggestions that there will be an upper income limit for this extra so that high earners will not receive the extra childcare.

The plans were to bring this new scheme into place in September 2017, but it's now planned to come in to force from September 2016, a whole year early. Such a massive change will impact small independent nurseries as well as larger school schemes, and with some operating in community centres and on a very small scale how will they expand to provide all the extra childcare? And of course there have been challenges from the opposition on where the funding will come from, and claims that the £350 million pledged by the government for the new scheme will not be enough.

The move is to encourage more stay at home parents back in to work, so would the extra childcare encourage you to look for employment? There are many questions to be answered about the funding and implementation, but as private childcare in the UK is the some of the most expensive in Europe something clearly need to be done to assist working parents.

What do you think of the plans? Let us know in the comments or over on our Facebook page.

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Comments

barhorne
I don't know why people are having children anymore, it seems to me that it's a crime to want to stay home and look after a child and give it love and security and actually watch the child grow up. There is such an emphasis on having to go back to work, I completely disagree with putting a baby into nursery at a few months old, I had children because I wanted to be a mom. I am not someone who is afraid to work, I put in a good 20 years of work before having children and saved up so I do not have to work for a few years. Is that a crime? These poor children are being bought up by nursery workers. Fact...
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Melissa31
Wow! Some of us have to go back to work! I'd love to be able to be stay at home mum but haven't got the financial backing to do so. I have nothing against those that choose to stay home as I think that's fantastic if you can but I feel it's harsh that working mums are being judged because they're children are being 'brought up by nursery". My daughter goes to nursery at 9am and I collect her at 3:30 after collecting my other children but I pay from 8 until 6. I spend lots of time with my children after work!
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LML86
I don't know why people are having children anymore, it seems to me that it's a crime to want to stay home and look after a child and give it love and security and actually watch the child grow up. There is such an emphasis on having to go back to work, I completely disagree with putting a baby into nursery at a few months old, I had children because I wanted to be a mom. I am not someone who is afraid to work, I put in a good 20 years of work before having children and saved up so I do not have to work for a few years. Is that a crime? These poor children are being bought up by nursery workers. Fact...
Not everyone has the luxury of waiting until they can afford to take a few years off, rent is constantly rising as are rates of living. I would love to be able to stay at home with my son more but it isn't feasible for us living in London as my husband does not earn enough money on his own to support the 3 of us. Does this make me a bad parent? My child is not brought up by nursery workers-he has a childminder who takes him out to do a variety of things, he also spends days with his grandparents on both sides and loves it all and is a very happy well rounded toddler (if there is such a thing.) Everyone has to do what they can do in their situation, if we all waited until we could afford a few years out of work we would never be blessed with children at all.
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MamaTo2
I don't know why people are having children anymore, it seems to me that it's a crime to want to stay home and look after a child and give it love and security and actually watch the child grow up. There is such an emphasis on having to go back to work, I completely disagree with putting a baby into nursery at a few months old, I had children because I wanted to be a mom. I am not someone who is afraid to work, I put in a good 20 years of work before having children and saved up so I do not have to work for a few years. Is that a crime? These poor children are being bought up by nursery workers. Fact...
You may have relatives or friends to help you but some people have to work to pay mortgage and other bills.. They do not have anyone to help them so they need childcare. My husband works a lot but doesn't earn a fortune and I do 16 hrs a week just to keep my job while the kids are small. Just two days childcare for my 1 year old and 6 year old would cost me 90% of my salary (exclusive of the school holidays, inset days etc ) I want to work part time not only to keep developing myself but also to show my children that money doesn't go on trees! I still have a lot of time with them to observe, bring them up and enjoy each other! You have no right to criticise anyone!
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Melindaperry
This would be great for me as I have twins, if I was to go back to work full time I would have to arrange child care. Deeming working less beneficial,
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Jimminycricket73
Well said. Why is there this great clamour to get back to work? If you don't want to bring your kids up then don't have them in the first place? My wife and I decided that we wanted our children brought up by her, at home - not by some stranger in a nursery. So we cut our cloth to suit and made the necessary sacrifices in our lives so that we could afford to live on just my salary while she stayed at home to raise them. Your kids are only young once but you've got the whole of the rest of your life to work...
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hairbare
i would like to think that we all can stay at home to watch our childeren grow up but how does it work that when my childeren were young i had to work fulltime so did my husband and we would both loved to watch ours kids grow up but things like bills needed to be paid.then on the other hand you had my brother in law and his wive on benefits as he said he didnt want to get a job as he wanted to see his kids grow up so how is that fair this new childcare idea is fantastic to get people back into work and off benifits so those of us who have been supporting them and thier families can now get some support so we can sit back and watch our kids grow up oh sorry too late mine have because we had to work for a living.
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lentona
I don't know why people are having children anymore, it seems to me that it's a crime to want to stay home and look after a child and give it love and security and actually watch the child grow up. There is such an emphasis on having to go back to work, I completely disagree with putting a baby into nursery at a few months old, I had children because I wanted to be a mom. I am not someone who is afraid to work, I put in a good 20 years of work before having children and saved up so I do not have to work for a few years. Is that a crime? These poor children are being bought up by nursery workers. Fact...
It certainly my isn't crime what you are doing and it certainly isn't a crime if people what to use nursery services. I'm lucky to be able to work part time and have the best of both worlds, I go to work to keep my job and pension. My daughter loves her time at nursery and with me equally. I do what's right for me and my daughter and you shouldn't say people shouldn't use nursery school's because everyone has a right and option to do what suits them.
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AngryArgh
@barhorne how is providing extra support for those families whose parents bothy able to work making it a crime for parents who stay at home, surely any extra support is good and we should encourage extra help when it's needed! The vast majority of families aren't in a position where only one parent can work, your in the minority. Also this isn't aimed at babies - it's aimed at preschool children. Why are people so narrow minded?!
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RaiCuk
Well said Lentona, I couldn't agree more! I will happily work part-time when my son is comfortable being at pre-school/nursery for 16 hours a week but until then, I consider myself blessed to be at home giving him one to one care, which he obviously wouldn't get so much of at nursery.
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betstyboo14
Whilst I appreciate that some Mother's feel the need to work both intellectually and financially, why the need for guilt on either side? When I had my children thirty odd years ago I felt guilty for staying at home. Thankfully then the need for two cars, regular holidays and 'keeping up with the celebrities' was optional. We still had to live within tight budgetary boundaries but I've never regretted it for one minute. We have two well grounded daughters whom we had hardly any problems with whilst they were growing up and are a credit to us today. It's a bit simplistic but why doesn't the government help those mums who have worked and paid taxes (not your normal benefit scroungers) who want to stay at home and bring up their children themselves and open up their job places for those who want to work for five years?
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bertandernie
Wow Jimminy and Barhorn you certainly have your judgey pants on!!! My husband and I chose to have a baby because we wanted a family, our little boy is fab! He loves his mum and dad, he loves his childminder and he loves his aunt and uncle who also help us out. It sucks that we both work full time (although I do get quite a lot of holiday) but I certainly don't feel like someone else is raising my child as you put it. My husband didn't earn enough to support us all and my job wasn't quite secure enough for me to be the only breadwinner. It is a bit like you both want a medal or something for making the sacrifices you chose to make. We all make sacrifices!! Being a parent, working or otherwise, can be hard enough without people being criticised for their childcare choices. I am a good parent, there are far far worse types of parents to be than working ones!
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Barhorn
[quote]@barhorne how is providing extra support for those families whose parents bothy able to work making it a crime for parents who stay at home, surely any extra support is good and we should encourage extra help when it's needed! The vast majority of families aren't in a position where only one parent can work, your in the minority. Also this isn't aimed at babies - it's aimed at preschool children. Why are people so narrow minded?! Narrow minded are the people who have made comments that I have the luxury to stay off work, narrow minded are the people who say I am a lady of leisure, a kept woman! narrow minded are people who think we have a large income. I am a worker, a hard one at that, for over 10 years I worked 3 jobs back in the day, this is why I can now afford to stay off work for a couple of years. I now wear second hand clothes, so my child can have nice ones, no car also and no I do not have anyone to help me, I choose to look after my child. I have been judged for not going to work, and my whole argument for this was not against working parents but against the 30 hours childcare which in my opinion is too much for a child being away from home! It's nearly 3/4 of a working adult week. I feel it is pushing people into work who like myself feel like I am doing wrong by staying at home!! I know people who drop their children off at 8.30, pick up at 6 and child in bed for 7pm. I just do not want this for my child. Some of your responses have shown me what you think of stay at home parents! I did not write this against the working parent, of course I understand about the need to work. I wrote this because I want to live my life as I choose and not feel intimidated to make a choice I personally do not agree with. That is all. No offence was meant to anyone, and respectfully please refrain from disrespectful comments and respect the right of freedom of speech.
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Gib1982
am not sure why this article has really anything to criticise if someone chooses to stay at home then fine this is simply there so that those who want or need to work can and to be fair the current free 15 hrs needs looking at as even those who don't work get it. If someone is so militant about nurseries and believe that only parents should raise their children then they don't need any free hours at all surely this should all go to those who work?! Why should tax payers money pay for childcare for someone who is a stay at home parent by choice. I think means testing although not ideal will ensure that those who need it will qualify while the condition that both parents should be working is totally common sense if you choose to stay at home then you should have your child until they start school or you go to work. This is just reality for most families. Staying at home is a luxury most can't afford.
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mumof3andlovingit
I'm happy that something is being done to help working parents, and just because 30 hours are there, it doesn't force parents to use them. It's just nice to be offered the choice. Good childcare is way too expensive in the UK. :-)
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bradyboys3
I think mamato2 should go back and read what the article said!!! Every child aged 3-4 recieve 15 hours free childcare regardless of income or if parents work!! It has nothing to do with putting new born babies into nursery to be looked after! Children aged 3-4 attend nursery to develop and mature and interact and encourage confidence before that child starts school to give them the best chance of education! Some children aged 3 that start nursery who have been with there mum for the 3 years previous are very shy and lack in confidence as not all children before the age of 3 have interaction with other children!! I'm guessing mamato2 will decline the free offer of pre school education because to wants to keep her child at home incase she misses out on somthing her child may learn or do!! Personally I think it's fantastic that the government are upping the free hours for parents who work!! Most parents will have spent plenty of time with their child before the age of 3, holding your child back from nursery from age 3-4 will only hold them back in their social development !! Some people like to think they are the worlds best parent but what they don't realise is that we are all parents and all want what's best for our children !!! Us parents should stick together not play who's the best parent!!
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bradyboys3
Sorry mamato2 miss read above statement was regarding barhorns previous statement .
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swoons
I don't know why people are having children anymore, it seems to me that it's a crime to want to stay home and look after a child and give it love and security and actually watch the child grow up. There is such an emphasis on having to go back to work, I completely disagree with putting a baby into nursery at a few months old, I had children because I wanted to be a mom. I am not someone who is afraid to work, I put in a good 20 years of work before having children and saved up so I do not have to work for a few years. Is that a crime? These poor children are being bought up by nursery workers. Fact...
I also had a child because I wanted to bring up an honest and productive citizen. As such I took full maternity leave and went back to work, putting my child in nursery. At nursery she never had a bored moment stuck in front of the TV while mummy cleaned the house or stuck in a car all day with mummy running errands. Instead she had highly qualified and enthusiastic teachers stimulating her, teaching her how to share and interact with other children, and trying lovely homemade food that she wouldn't have been exposed to at home as it wasn't on the menu. Always a picky eater, she benefited from the positive pressure to eat everything that was served. At the end of the day we always had 2-3 hours of quality time to play games or go to the park. On my days off we often went to soft play and I played with her, helping her to contend with the wild offspring of the cappuccino mums who were more interested in their friends or smartphones than actually supervising their children, possibly starved of interesting and stimulating conversations as all they seemed to talk about was how much money their husbands earned and what new car they were getting next. As a result, my daughter was fully prepared for school and knew how to behave properly, she knows that you have to work for a living and she knows that it pays to get an education instead of just trying to become a wag.
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a12345hackney
If you can afford to stay at home because you have been working saved up etc then great. I think it's more to help those that can't afford to, to get back into work and why not if that's what they want or need to do?! Also I think a lot of the reason it's pushed more now for people going back to work early is because there are so many women that have child after child just for the money it brings in, it has often got sod all to do with wanting to be at home lovingly do caring for a child as a lot of these people you often see them putting their kids in front of a tell most of the day or at the age of2/3 with a tablet watching stuff all day- so why should it be ok for these people to do this why shouldn't they be pushed into working
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a12345hackney
Well said. Why is there this great clamour to get back to work? If you don't want to bring your kids up then don't have them in the first place? My wife and I decided that we wanted our children brought up by her, at home - not by some stranger in a nursery. So we cut our cloth to suit and made the necessary sacrifices in our lives so that we could afford to live on just my salary while she stayed at home to raise them. Your kids are only young once but you've got the whole of the rest of your life to work...
I have 2 children to someone I was with 8 years- he left and I have financial commitments that I can't afford on the dole. So I have to work full time and my kids have a childminder- this means I don't want to bring my kids up myself does it? This mean I love and cherish them any less than you do yours? No it means that every persons life and circumstances are different and we aren't all as fortunate as you and your wife to be able to stay at home full time bringing our children up! So how about not being so judgmental to working parents!!!
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