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Launch of new Childcare
Choices website means parents now able to find available Government support
MILLIONS of parents can now
pre-register for the Government's new childcare offers, with the launch of a new
Childcare Choices Government
website.
In the North West around 240,000 families will be eligible for Tax Free
Childcare.
The introduction of the Government's Tax Free Childcare scheme will begin on 28
April 2017, for parents of the youngest children. It will be gradually rolled out
over 2017; cutting childcare costs for working families across the UK by up to
£2,000 per child per year, or £4,000 for disabled children.
On top of this, from September this year parents of three and four year old
children living in England will be able to apply for a new 30 hours free
childcare offer, worth around £5,000 per child.
The Childcare Choices
website includes a Childcare Calculator
for parents to compare all the Government's childcare offers and check what
works best for their families.
Through the site parents can also pre-register for email alerts that will notify
them when they can apply, as well as providing details of existing Government
childcare offers.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, said:- "The Government is on
the side of working families and our childcare support will cut thousands of
pounds off bills for millions of households, as well as supporting parents to
return to or remain in work.
The new Childcare Choices website provides busy families with options that suit
their needs, so they can clearly see which childcare offer works best for them.
For the 1st time, we have brought all the childcare options together to make the
process easier and simpler for families and childcare providers."
Education Secretary, Justine Greening, said:- "Affordable childcare and
early years education are a vital part of how we can get our children on the
right path, whilst also helping parents to be back at work, if that is what they
want. Many parents are struggling to balance the cost of childcare against the
benefits of being in work and this Government wants to help. Parents can now use
the Childcare Choices website to find out what support is available for their
family. Whether that's our 30 hour free childcare offer, Tax Free Childcare or
Universal Credit, the website is a quick and easy way for parents to choose the
offer that's best for them and their children."
2 million working families will be eligible for Tax Free Childcare. It will be
gradually rolled out, with parents of children under 2 invited to enter the
scheme 1st. By the end of the year, all eligible parents will be able to
receive Government top ups of £2 for every £8 that a parent pays into their
Tax Free Childcare account. This will be open to all working parents across the
UK with children under 12, or under 17 if disabled.
The new 30 hours free childcare offer for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds
in England doubles the current 15 hours of free childcare currently available,
saving eligible working families up to £5,000 a year.
Parents will be able to apply for Tax Free Childcare and the 30 hours offer in
1 go through the Government's new digital childcare service. Eligible parents
can benefit from both Tax Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare at the same
time.
Both of these new offers have been run as trials over recent months, to test the
new digital services. More than 4,000 parents are already benefiting from the 30
hours offer in 8 'early implementer' Councils, with thousands more set to
follow suit, as four new areas launch the 30 hours offer in April. And over
2,000 parents are cutting their childcare costs with the Tax Free Childcare
trial.
These offers build on the childcare support already available to thousands of
families, including:-
► 15 hours free childcare for all 3 and 4 year olds.
► 15 hours for disadvantaged 2 year olds.
► enhanced childcare support through Universal
Credit.
► childcare vouchers. |
