Working parents are to benefit from a new scheme to double free childcare introduced earlier this month.
Prime Minister David Cameron announced at the beginning of June that parents of three and four year olds will be able to claim 30 free hours a week from as soon as next year.
The free hours will be available to up to 600,000 families and worth around £5,000 a year – including the £2,500 parents can already save from existing free childcare offers.
Mr Cameron said the scheme was being brought forward a year for some families, with pilots in some areas offering 30 hours free from September 2016.
The government has also committed to increase the average childcare funding rates paid to providers (the hourly funding provided for each free place) with the Department for Education set to begin a review overseen by Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah.
A new government taskforce, headed by Minister of State for Employment Priti Patel, will also work to drive forward the plans and ensure not a moment is wasted in passing the benefits onto working families.
In announcing the plans, Mr Cameron said: “My message is clear. This government is on the side of working people – helping them get on and supporting them at every stage of life.
“That is exactly why we are pressing ahead with these reforms – so that not a moment is lost in getting on with the task – going further than ever before to help with childcare costs, helping hardworking families and giving people the opportunity to get into work.”
Minister for Employment, Priti Patel said: “Having the right childcare in place will mean more parents can have genuine choice, security and peace of mind when it comes to being able to support their family.”
More than a million families are already benefiting from 15 hours week of free childcare for three and four-year olds, alongside around 160,000 of the most disadvantaged two year olds.
The government has also already legislated to introduce tax free childcare – worth up to £2,000 per child per year.
