From 12 May, applications will open for parents of children from nine to 23 months eligible for the new funded entitlements.
The Department for Education (DfE) is encouraging parents to ‘act now’ to secure their funded place for September if they have a preferred provider, under the rollout of the second phase of the extended offer which see nine-month-olds eligible for 15 funded hours.
It says that places will be available for September in every area of the country, but a ‘significant minority’ of settings hold waiting lists over six months.
The DfE has also launched a consultation today (15 March) considering ways the Government could provide more support to childminders to increase numbers given the profession has been in continued decline.
Parents are being advise to ‘reach out’ to their local provider to secure a physical space for their child ahead of time.
The DfE says it has been clear with providers that they shouldn’t set deadlines for September childcare codes earlier than 31 July.
Parents already using Tax-Free Childcare and need to reconfirm their eligibility between 1 April and 12 May, prior to the new offer opening, will automatically be issued a code in the post by HMRC soon after applications open.
'With over 150,000 children about to access a Government-funded place in just over two weeks, it's clear our plan is working.'
Education secretary Gillian Keegan said, ‘Last year, we committed to delivering the largest ever expansion of childcare that England has ever seen. And with over 150,000 children about to begin accessing a government-funded childcare place in just over two weeks, it’s clear our plan is working.’
The Early Years Alliance put into question suggestions that the ‘policy is on track’, referring to its own research that found even before the rollout of the first phase of the expanded offer, more than two-thirds of settings said they were full.
Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘The only way that this policy will come even close to being workable in practice is if these longstanding funding, capacity and staffing issues are properly addressed. Confirming when families will be able to apply for the next phase of the entitlement will be entirely pointless if early years settings don’t have the capacity and support to be able to deliver the places families need.’
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said it was pleased the Government has started to communicate early for the September rollout and stressed that for some eligible parents, it will be the first time they go through the system so its important they and providers are well supported.
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku went on to say, ‘While it is important for parents to ask about available future places locally, we would urge them to be aware that childcare settings will be prioritising supporting the delivery of places for the April roll-out, so they may not hear back straight away.’
According to the DfE, all providers should now have heard from their local authority what rate they will receive to deliver the funded places from next month.