Many clients and candidates have been asking about this issue, so we thought it would be good to write a blog so our Bristol Early Years recruitment team can outline free childcare changes coming in 2024.
In his Spring 2023 Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt outlined plans to extend free childcare in England to infants aged one and two as part of a drive to boost the Early Years sector workforce.
The Government will offer 30 hours of free childcare for every child from the age of nine months, where all adults in the household work at least 16 hours.
The Government claims that this £4bn policy shift will reduce childcare costs for each family by nearly 60%.
Our Early Years recruiters in Bristol have been talking to nursery settings and candidates in the latter part of 2023 about free childcare changes in the city.
The main concern is the fact it will take time to implement the changes.
The free childcare changes will be introduced in stages to ensure there are enough nursery workers to supply new demand in the Early Years market.
As it stands, working parents of two-year-olds in Bristol will get 15 hours of free childcare from April, which will be extended to 30 hours by 2025.
There are concerns that there may not be enough nursery spaces in Bristol to deal with an increase in demand. Many Bristol nursery settings have waiting lists.
Another concern is that Bristol Early Years settings are given enough support from April 2024 from the Government to provide what is being funded.
Some Bristol nursery-setting business owners have expressed confusion as to how the Government funding from April will improve the supply of nursery places.
Our Bristol Early Years recruitment experts are also wondering how the Government plans to assess the level of funding, as it costs more to look after younger children in nurseries.
If funding is not set at the right rate, it won't be viable for many Bristol nursery settings from April 2024.
There are many unanswered questions around the topic of free childcare and we hope that Bristol nursery settings get the support needed from April.
If you own or run an Early Years setting in Bristol and are looking for staff, please feel free to reach our team on 0117 930 4000 or by visiting here.