Beginning on Monday, working parents in England will be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare per week, term time only. This deal is open to anyone with an income of less than £100,000 a year. This program focuses on kids from as young as nine months through their start in school. That’s the whole point of government-funded childcare, to support families. Experts warn that many disadvantaged families may not benefit from this program, exacerbating existing inequalities in early childhood education.
Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Education Secretary, welcomed National Education Union leader Kevin Courtney’s guarded optimism at the Government’s £240 million rollout. She stated, “It was never going to be easy, but against all odds we’ve delivered through our plan for change.” Her remarks are the latest indication that the federal government is serious about making more childcare services available and affordable for working, middle class families.
Even Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, publicly backed this concept. Mr Harper announced that introducing 30 hours of free childcare will be his greatest achievement so far. He remarked, “Launching 30 hours of free childcare is a promise made and a promise delivered.” The news release accompanying this statement points to actions taken by government to deliver on promises made to help working parents.
Even with the rosy perspective from elected officials, some remain worried that the program won’t be very accessible. Families who earn less than £9,518 will not be eligible to receive free hours. On an average basis, future families will be looking at an estimated cost of £205 a wk for early education for under twos. Children’s charity Coram Family and Childcare has calculated the cost. To counter this, Barnett and her team calculated that children from working families who meet eligibility requirements will have access to three times as much government-paid early education by the time they enter school compared to their disadvantaged counterparts.
Neil Leitch, Chief Executive of the Early Years Alliance, said that the scheme showed terrible lack of understanding of early years sector. He emphasized that “the harsh reality is that under current levels of funding – particularly given the huge impact of national insurance increases – many providers will struggle to keep their doors open in the coming year.” Leitch cautioned that many businesses would barely be able to get by. Even those that do are often restricted in how they can deliver the affordable, flexible services families truly need.
Lydia Hodges, head of Coram Family and Childcare, warned that this was increasing the inequality of support for children. Disadvantaged children have fewer entitlements of more limited value than their working-class counterparts. She stated, “Whilst the expansion of funded childcare hours is very welcome support for many working families, the focus on parental income risks excluding disadvantaged children who stand to benefit the most from early education.” This worry foreshadows a move towards widening the already gaping chasm of inequality existing within the school environment.
Commenting on the report Jack Worth, NFER education workforce lead, added, underscoring the urgent need to tackle workforce challenges across the sector. “It is critical that workforce challenges in the sector are addressed, so that it can be both attractive enough to recruit new staff and retain a higher level of staff,” he noted. This new piece of information underlines one key consideration when thinking about how to make the expanded free childcare entitlement a success.
Victoria, a headteacher and single mother from Gloucester, shared her hopes of the positive impact that this scheme would have on her family. She hopes to save almost £600 per month through the new programme. Her story is not the typical picture for most other families. Due to income limits, they often do not reap the same rewards.