Nursery World - New report calls for radical reform to create anti-poverty childcare system

A simpler funding system, where parents pay for the cost of their childcare outside the free 15 hours on a sliding scale based on their income, has been proposed by the Family and Childcare Trust.

Rather than moving to 30 hours of free childcare for all families of three-and four-year-olds, the charity argues that this move - whereby fees would be capped at ten per cent of disposable income for families on low to middle incomes allowing the poorest to receive all their childcare free - would create an anti-poverty childcare system.

This would address the problem of low-income families that do not receive financial support, for example those looking for jobs or in education and training, they say.

Extending universal childcare beyond 15 hours has no educational benefit, the report argues, because resources are spread too thinly and lock into a low-quality finding model.

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