The Department for Education (DfE) has updated the online eligibility checker for support in childcare.
It said the Childcare Choices service enables parents to access personalised information on the support available to them, including which of the new childcare offers they will be eligible for depending on the age of their child and earnings.
The website will also give parents the opportunity to sign up for regular updates letting them know when they should take action to make sure they are getting the support they are entitled to. This includes when the new 15 free hours for two-year-olds shortly becomes available for sign-ups, with the offer beginning in April 2024.
The move has come as comes as the Government rolls out the next stage of delivery of its childcare plan.
Need for access
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said: “No-one should have to choose between having a career and having a family, so I’m determined that every parent who wants it should have access to the childcare they need.
“Flexibility is at the heart of our plans to transform childcare for families, whether it’s offering quality childcare out of school hours or making sure there are more early years places where they’re needed most.
“This is the largest investment in childcare in our history, so I encourage people with young children or those thinking about starting a family to visit the Childcare Choices website to find out what they’re eligible for.”
The DfE added that local authorities are also receiving details of their allocation from the £289 million wraparound childcare fund to make sure families of primary schoolchildren can access childcare between 8am and 6pm. Funding is being distributed on the basis of anticipated need, plugging gaps in the existing market.
