CYP Now - Factors behind two-year-old decline

Falling number of children accessing funded entitlement down to demographic and eligibility changes which need fixes, say experts.

The newly elected Labour government pledged to create more than 3,000 nurseries in existing primary schools. Picture: Adobe Stock

The number of disadvantaged two-year-olds registered for 15 hours of government-funded early education has dropped by nearly 33,000 from 148,800 in 2019 to 115,900 in 2024, according to government statistics.

Experts have blamed the 22% decline on a range of factors including falling birth rates - with the estimated population of all two-year-olds decreasing by 18% since 2015 – and outdated eligibility criteria for the scheme, which this year marks a decade in existence.

Several causes

Sector figures have also said static income thresholds have seen the number of disadvantaged parents that are eligible to register for the scheme decline.

This has meant that the proportion of parents eligible for the scheme has fallen from the 38% lowest income families in 2015 to the 27% now.

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