White paper pledges extra cash for free childcare

The New Opportunities paper sets out plans to extend free childcare for two-year-olds to 15 per cent of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds in every local authority in England. The plan will make an extra 23,000 two-year-olds eligible for 10 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks a year.

The government has already made £100m available until 2011 to fund up to 20,000 places for two-year-olds in 63 local authorities.

Geethika Jayatilaka, deputy chief executive of 4Children, said: "The free childcare pilot scheme has lots of positive outcomes in terms of child development. What we know from the offer for three- and four-year-olds is that it has a very high take-up and is particularly useful for children from disadvantaged backgrounds."

All three- and four-year-olds in England are currently entitled to 12 and a half hours of free childcare for 38 weeks a year, rising to 15 hours next year. The government aims to extend early learning and childcare places to all two-year-olds but has not given a deadline for this.

Alison Garnham, joint chief executive of the Daycare Trust, said: "The government is right to recognise that high-quality early years education and care is the key to social mobility. Lower income families get a double dividend from high-quality early years education and care. First, they can balance their family and work life, maximising their household income and second, their children will benefit from improved language development, social skills and behaviour when they start school."

The paper also sets out plans to provide all vulnerable pregnant mothers with access to a dedicated family nurse to help them through their pregnancy and the first two years of their child's life.