MUMS and dads in the Vale have until just midnight tonight to apply for 30 hours of free child care.
The Government is rolling out their flagship childcare programme next month and eligible parents are being urged to make sure they apply for the 30 hours of free child care.
The offer only applies to working parents with three and four-year-old children.
Both parents must be working or the sole parent must be working in a lone-parent family to be eligible.
Parents must earn a minimum of the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the national living or minimum wage and less than £100,000 a year.
The scheme applies to kids who will be three-years-old before today (August 31).
The free child care is also available to self-employed parents, as well as those on zero hour contracts as long as they meet the earnings threshold.
Here are the finer details of the scheme:
- The free childcare will only cover 38 weeks of the year.
- It only covers normal working hours between 6am and 8pm.
- A daily cap on free hours prevents parents from claiming more than 10 free hours on any given day.
- The free hours can also not be used at more than two childcare providers in one day.
The programme has though been dogged by a number of issues and claims the scheme is underfunded.
The Government has said parents could save £5,000 per year on childcare costs.
But education charities and nursery providers have warned that parents may face higher costs and nurseries could close.
To see if you’re eligible and to apply for the free childcare www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
