Funded childcare for all two-year olds rolls out to 86% of Wales’ local authorities

Nation Cymru staff

Six months after taking office, the Welsh Government has expanded funded childcare for all two-year-olds from just three local authorities to 19 by the end of this month, with all 22 on track to be delivering the offer by the end of March.

The progress has been made possible by the Welsh Government’s £55 million investment in childcare this year, which is helping to accelerate the rollout of funded childcare to more two-year-olds across Wales.

To mark the milestone, Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams will today visit Little Inspirations Day Nursery and Camau Cyntaf Meithrin in Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd, where families across Rhondda Cynon Taf have been able to access the offer since September. The bilingual nursery provides a range of play-based learning opportunities for young children in indoor and outdoor settings.

Rhys Lee, whose 2 year old daughter attends a nursery in the local authority, said: “The 12.5 funded hours have had a hugely positive impact on our family since they were introduced, particularly as we didn’t have access to this support when our first child was born.

“They have allowed us to provide our daughter with access to a professional childcare setting, supporting her learning, development and social skills without having to worry about the financial cost.

“Not only have we been able to see the positive impact on her development, but the funded hours have also given us greater financial flexibility as a family.

“This means we can budget for other activities and opportunities for all our children to support their development, without the added pressure of paying for additional private childcare.

“Overall, the funded hours have made a real difference to our family, both in supporting our daughter’s early development and helping us manage the wider costs of raising children”.

The rollout of 12.5 hours of funded childcare a week for all two-year-olds is the first phase of the Welsh Government’s programme to deliver a universal childcare offer for children aged nine months to four years.

“As the programme develops, the offer for two-year-olds will increase to 20 funded hours a week for 48 weeks of the year before being extended to younger children.

“These reforms will deliver the most generous universal childcare offer anywhere in the UK.

Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams said: “This is a major milestone in delivering our commitment to support families with the cost of living through our funded childcare offer.

“When we took office in May, only three local authorities were offering funded childcare to all two-year-olds. Just six months later, 19 local authorities will have delivered the offer by the end of this month, with the remaining three on track to do so by the end of March.

“This rapid progress reflects our determination to get on with the job of transforming childcare for families across Wales, turning our commitment into reality in communities across the nation.

“We believe every child deserves the best start in life and no family should be held back by the cost of childcare.

“At a time when childcare costs place real pressure on family budgets, this transformational offer is helping more families access the support they need, tackling poverty, supporting working families and creating opportunities across Wales.”

Commenting on confirmation from the Welsh Government that all 22 local authorities will be delivering the childcare offer to children from the age of two by the end of March 2027, Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Education and Families, said: “Additional support for families with childcare costs is welcome and similar to a commitment in the Welsh Conservative manifesto, but support should be targeted at working parents to help grow the economy.

“Making free childcare universal, including to families who don’t need childcare is unnecessary and will put significant pressure on funding.

“The Welsh Government must provide evidence that the policy will be fully funded, so the burden of funding it doesn’t fall on council taxpayers through higher bills.”