Karen celebrates rollout of expanded free childcare in the Staffordshire Moorlands

Moorlands MP, Dame Karen Bradley has welcomed the roll-out of the largest ever expansion of childcare in England’s history with eligible working parents of two-year-olds now able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week.

Currently, working families in England with children aged three to four-years-old are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare for 38 weeks of the year – a total of 1,140 hours per year.

From 1 April, the 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, Karen said:

“I am pleased that 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.”

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.”