As the general election nears, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have all made manifesto promises to expand free childcare, to the dismay of the early years sector, which is urging for these pledges to be fully costed.
Labour has pledged to expand the 30 hours to all two-, three- and four-year-olds within five years, and to subsidise any extra hours, based on income.
The Liberal Democrats have pledged 35 hours a week of free childcare for working parents of children from the age of nine months to 24 months, and for all two- to four-year-olds. The offer, which would stand for 48 weeks of the year, would rise to an estimated £12.3 billion in 2024/25, the party said.
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