DfE Says 85,000 More Free Childcare Places Needed in England

Department for Education (DfE) says about 85,000 extra childminder and nursery places are needed in England for the expansion of government-funded hours for babies and toddlers.

It also said 40,000 more staff will need to be recruited by September 2025.

The UK government said it is providing maximum support to nurseries and all providers to make the plans a reality.

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In April, the first phase of the childcare expansion plans began, with two-year-olds of eligible working parents given 15 free hours a week during term time.

Figures released by the DfE show that so far, about 79% of eligible families who applied, a total of 195,355, are already using the free hours for their two-year-olds.

It states that thousands more children will have their places confirmed over the coming weeks and some parents also tend to change their mind about formal childcare, so will not use the service.