| answer text |
<p>In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children, and the economy.
By 2027/28, the department expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year
on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs.
This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.</p><p>Our
reforms include:</p><ul><li>Providing over £4.1 billion by 2027/28 to fund 30 hours
of free childcare for children over the age of nine months.</li><li>Investing £204
million from September 2023, rising to £288 million in 2024/25 to uplift the rates
for existing entitlements.</li><li>Increasing the supply of wraparound care through
£289 million startup funding.</li><li>Attracting more people to childminding through
an maximum £7.2 million startup grant fund.</li><li>Giving providers more flexibility
by changing staff-to-child ratios to 1:5 for two year olds in England.</li><li>Launching
a consultation on further measures to support reform of the childcare market, to explore
further flexibilities for providers.</li></ul><p>The department will continue to work
closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms, and explore how we
can support the sector to deliver the additional places that will be required.</p><p>The
department will work closely with local authorities and providers to identify what
needs to be in place to support this significant expansion in childcare provision,
including capital requirements as well as workforce.</p><p>We will set out further
details in due course.</p><p> </p>
|
|
