Many more families to get 15 hours free childcare for their two-year-olds
From 2 January, most Lancashire parents of two-year-olds will be able to apply for government-funded childcare with a local nursery, childminder or pre school starting in April 2024.
Currently, parents who work and earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage, and earn less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year, are entitled to 30 hours free childcare a week for children aged three to four.
The changes in April will see eligible working parents of two-year-olds receive 15 hours funded childcare per week starting from April 2024.
County Councillor Jayne Rear, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said:
"We welcome these changes which will mean thousands of parents won’t have to choose between a career and a family.
"There are so many benefits for children that access education from an early age, and we are fortunate in Lancashire that almost all of our childcare providers have been rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.
"It can be confusing to know what childcare options are available to you, so our Family Information Service is on hand to provide advice and talk parents through the process. They can be contacted on 0300 123 6712 or email FIS@lancashire.gov.uk
"This is the first stage of the extension to the offer, and in September 2024, eligible working parents of children from age 9 months will also entitled to 15 hours of free childcare, rising to 30 hours in 2025."
Applications for this first stage of the roll out will open on 2 January 2024 via Childcare Choices. Parents will be asked to reconfirm that they are still eligible for the support every 3 months.
It is recommended those eligible apply between mid-January and the end of February so that parents receive their eligibility code by 31 March 2024 which is the deadline if they want to access a place from April.
Families who currently receive some additional forms of government support should still apply on the county council website to complete an eligibility check. For further details on the eligibility criteria for these families go to www.lancashire.gov.uk/childcare and click on the banner for 'Funded places for 2-year-olds'.
Notes to editors
From September 2024, 15 hours of free childcare will be extended to all children from the age of nine months.
From September 2025, working parents of children under the age of five will be entitled to 30 hours free childcare per week.
Working parents who individually earn more than £8,670 but less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year are eligible.
For couples, the rules apply to both parents, so both must earn at least £8,670 and neither can earn more than £100,000.