Rishi Sunak visited the Aldersyde Day Nursery in Hartlepool this morning (Tuesday 2 April) to meet with some of the hard working parents now being supported by the extended rollout of 15 hours of free childcare, which began on Monday 1 April.
Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Government recognise that the cost of childcare can be a real struggle for parents and can become a barrier to work, with too many parents being held back from returning to the workplace.
From Monday 1 April, the Conservative Government is delivering the largest ever expansion of free childcare, with eligible working parents of two-year-olds now being able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week.
Currently, only working families in England with children aged three to four-years-old are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare. However, the Conservative Government is committed to securing a better deal for hard-working families across the country and is moving towards a system where working parents will have 30 hours free childcare from nine months old through to four years.
From 1 April, the Conservative Government has extended the childcare package so that eligible working parents of two-year-olds can now access 15 hours of childcare support per week.
But this is just phase one. From September 2024, working parents with children from the age of nine months until they start school will be able to benefit from 15 hours of free childcare per week.
This will be expanded again in September 2025 with working parents of children under the age of five able to benefit from 30 hours free childcare per week.
Commenting, Jill Mortimer said:
“Hartlepool is proud to have been chosen for the Prime Ministers launch of 15 hours free childcare for working parents of two-year-olds and the next phase of the Conservative’s plan for working families.
“Rishi Sunak has recognised the hard-working parents in our town, meeting with them to understand the pressures they are facing and the barrier of childcare costs which had prevented too many families across Hartlepool from returning to work.
“But from 1 April the Conservative Government is putting an end to this, and eligible parents of two-year-olds are now able to access 15 hours of government funded childcare a week, with the expansion to go further this year and next, empowering parents to return to work whilst raising a family.
“Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a plan and it is working – and we must stick to that plan to continue supporting parents in their careers, whilst also ensuring a brighter future for the next generation.”
Commenting, Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan, said:
“This government is taking long term decisions to give working families a brighter future, which is why we are making the largest ever investment in childcare in England’s history.
“From April, well over one hundred thousand more parents will be benefitting from our expanded offer – and next year, hard-working parents with children from nine months old up to when they start school will get a full 30 hours – saving parents £6,900 a year.
“This progress would be destroyed by Labour who have no plan and would take us back to square one by refusing to commit to 30 hours of free childcare, risking the futures of thousands of young people across the country.”