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<p>This government exceeded expectations for the first stage of the rollout to working
parents of two year olds in April, with over 210,000 children accessing funded places
to date, and all local authorities confirming that they are able to meet parental
demand.</p><p>The department is confident that parental demand will be met for the
next steps of the rollout, as it was in April.</p><p>The department has a number of
interventions in place to support local authorities to deliver for September 2024
and September 2025, including £12 million delivery support funding and support through
the department’s delivery support contractor, Childcare Works.</p><p>The department
is also taking action to support the childcare market to expand to meet estimated
demand from September 2024 and September 2025. This includes significantly increasing
rates paid to providers for government funded hours and confirming an additional £500
million to provide certainty that rates will increase in line with cost pressures
in the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years. The department has also launched a nationwide
recruitment campaign, introduced a package of flexibilities to help manage staffing
pressures, and allocated £100 million of capital investment to increase physical space
in nurseries and other childcare settings.</p>
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