As of September, up to 2,500 more children will be eligible for 12.5 hours of free childcare a week, over 39 weeks of the year, under plans by the Welsh Government to expand its Flying Start scheme, which includes opening up the scheme to all two-year-olds within the next few years.
The programme will initially be expanded to more ‘target areas’ in every local authority in Wales with eligible families being contacted by the summer, before being rolled out universally.
Currently around 9,000 two-year-old receive funded childcare places in Wales.
To support expansion of the programme, existing Flying Start childcare, incuding those who specialise in Welsh-medium provision, will be encouraged to increase the number of places they offer.
An additional £20 million in funding has been allocated by the Welsh Government over the next three years to support the expansion.
Deputy minister for social services Julie Morgan, said, ‘I have heard from parents and carers about the positive impact Flying Start has had on their families. We are committed to expanding early years provision and this excellent programme is the best way of delivering this.
‘This is an ambitious initiative, but it will make a profound difference to the lives of many Welsh families and help us reach our goal of achieving a million Welsh speakers by 2050.’
The National Day Nurseries Association Cymru welcomed the announcement, but said it is ‘vital the funding system supports PVI providers, as well as maintained settings, so parents have a choice.’
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku added, ‘There needs to be an investment to increase childcare capacity across Wales, which should include support for promoting and developing the early years workforce. Settings have been struggling to recruit nationally so would welcome support to help them recruit and retain practitioners.
‘The funding rate for Flying Start must support the ongoing sustainability of the sector and should be reviewed regularly so it keeps pace with inflation.
‘We welcome the emphasis on strengthening Welsh-medium provision, as we continue to support the Welsh Government’s ambitions to boost Welsh language speakers across the country and achieve Cymraeg 2050.’