The Childcare Offer for Wales provides government funding for up to 30 hours early education and childcare for working parents in Wales, for up to 48 weeks of the year.
During school term time, the 30 hours is split into two parts: a minimum of 10 hours of early education provision, and a maximum of 20 hours of childcare from a provider registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).
As well as 39 weeks of term-time funding, the Offer is also available for up to nine weeks of school holidays each year, with parents able to claim three weeks for every school term they access the Offer. The exact number of holiday weeks you can access depends on factors such as your child’s birthday and the date you begin taking up the Offer. You can check with your local Family Information Service for more detailed, localised information, ensuring that you’re in the know when it comes to your use of the Offer.
It may surprise you just how many different forms of childcare fall under the Offer. Funded childcare can be accessed through any private nursery, Cylch Meithrin (Welsh language playgroup), sessional care setting, playgroup or childminder that has agreed to deliver the Offer in your area and is registered with CIW, while early education can be accessed either in a school nursery or in a childcare setting approved to deliver early education by your Local Authority. You can check with your local Family Information Service which settings in your area deliver each element of the Offer.
The Childcare Offer for Wales is available to help the hard-working parents of Wales; a little extra money each week could go a long way towards important provisions for your family, while a little extra time might offer you the opportunity to return to work or increase your hours. Parents that have already made use of the Offer will have seen it benefit their lives in different ways.
Take Matt, a father based in Rhondda Cynon Taff, for instance. Of the Offer, he said:
“The funding meant that my wife could go back to work for four days a week instead of three, which was a huge help and took the pressure off in more ways than just financially. I then recommended it to my family and friends, and they took up the Offer as well.”
As well as the many advantages for parents, financially and otherwise, let’s also not forget about your little one reaping the benefits of attending childcare and early education. With the concerns of affordability reduced by the Offer, parents can be safe in the knowledge that their child is developing and thriving among their peers, making friends and finding their way in the world. All while saving time and money.
His wife, Sarah, added:
“Our childminder advised us of the Offer – it really did make such a difference to us and I was so grateful to be told about it. The money we saved added up – we used it for buying clothes, days out and saving money. I decided to increase my hours in work, which was easy because we were saving on childcare costs. I am so grateful for the help we received and would really encourage others to make the most of it.”
The good news is that most working parents living in Wales are eligible to take up the Offer. Check out the main criteria below, which should give you an idea of whether you should apply:
- Your child must be 3 or 4 years old
- You must be working and earning at least the equivalent of the national minimum wage at 16 hours a week, on average - this applies to single parents and to both parents in two-parent families
- You must earn less than £100,000 a year
If you want to make sure you’re ticking all of the eligibility boxes, you can find out more details here.
Remember - the Childcare Offer for Wales is here to help. What would you do with a bit of extra financial support towards childcare? Perhaps it’s time to find out.
For full details on the Childcare Offer for Wales, click here.