Closed petition Provide 15 hours free childcare for ages between 1year and 3 years old

Closed on 11 September 2016

30 hours free childcare is provided for children from the ages of 3 but there is nothing in place between the ages of 1 and 3 years of age, limiting mothers returning to work and causing families to struggle with childcare costs.

The government have increased childcare hours to 30 hours free after the age of 3. But there is still nothing in place for children aged between 1 year old and 3 years old. Nurseries are ridiculously expensive and women have a fight between returning to work and having their wages spent on childcare and having nothing left after or not returning to work and still struggling to get by with no income. It's just as hard on joint income families as it is on single parents. Providing 15 hours free childcare between these ages allows mothers to return to work after maternity without the worry of extortionate childcare costs but also provides essential and vital development for children of these ages.