Open petition: Start funded childcare when an eligible child turns 9 months old

Created by Andrew Glover
Closes on 14 April 2027

We want the Government to change the Free Childcare for Working Parents scheme in England so that eligible children can access their funded hours from the date they turn nine months old, rather than having to wait until the next termly funding period.

Termly cut-offs create an arbitrary childcare funding cliff edge. A child who turns 9 months on 31st March can receive 30 funded hours a week from 1st April, while a child turning 9 months one day later must wait until September. At £60 per 10-hour day, this can leave a family paying about £2,340 for the same childcare over an estimated 13-week summer term. Two children one day apart can therefore receive the same support almost five months apart.

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