Families are set to receive “huge help” and save up to £6,500 a year through the Government’s latest childcare initiative.
A new UK-wide recruitment drive has been launched to help nurseries get the workers they need to provide more childcare places to parents.
There is also a £1,000 cash sign-on bonus for new recruits as an incentive to become a childcare worker.
Via the “Do Something Big” recruitment campaign, working parents using the full 30-hour entitlements will make savings of up to £6,500 annually, according to the Government.
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Childcare costs have risen in recent years
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Different childcare schemes are available depending on where you live in the UK. Most schemes offer up to 30 hours of care for children aged between three to four years old.
Furthermore, the amount they are entitled to depends on multiple factors. These include the child’s age and circumstances, the parent’s employment status, family income and immigration status.
According to MoneyHelper, the average cost of sending a child under the age of two to nursery is £138.70 for 25 hours a week. This comes to £7,210 a year.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said this latest childcare offer would ensure parents and guardians will not have to “choose between a career and a family” going forward.
She explained: “From April, hundreds of thousands of parents of two year olds will get 15 funded hours.
“This is good for families and good for the wider economy – ultimately putting more money in parents’ pockets at the end of the month.
“The fantastic nurseries, childminders and professionals across the childcare sector are central to the success of this rollout and our new recruitment campaign will support them in continuing to deliver the flexible and high-quality childcare parents need.”
Rebecca Mabey, a development lead at a non-profit in Essex, will be taking up to 30 government-funded hours a week for her three-year-old boy from April.
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The new recruitment drive is set bolster the exiting childcare scheme and save parents thousands of pounds
GETTYMs Mabey shared: “I work four days a week, and the cost of nursery fees means my partner and I have only been able to afford a limited time there, often relying on immediate family for childcare support over the last few years.
“The new hours will mean we can increase the time our little boy spends learning and socialising at nursery, give us more flexibility at work and take some of the pressure off our family who have helped so much already.
“Our second child is due in June, so the next stage of rollout will be a huge help when baby number two comes along.”
Parents and guardians can check their eligibility for free childcare by logging onto the Government’s website.