Three-year-olds currently become eligible for 15 hours of free childcare each week from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April, after their birthday or the beginning of the autumn, spring or summer school term. This means that several months can pass after a child's third birthday before they are entitled to free provision.
Asked in parliament by Labour MP for West Lancashire Rosie Cooper whether the government has plans to adjust the eligibility criteria for claiming free childcare so that it can be claimed from a child's third birthday, childcare minister Sam Gyimah defended the rationale for the current system.
He said that the start of term dates for three-year-olds “mirror those for compulsory school age, which is the beginning of the term following a child’s fifth birthday”.
“This is intended to ensure that all three-year-old children can access two years of funded early education and/or maintained school reception provision before they reach compulsory school age,” he said.
Denise Burke, chief executive of online parenting service Smallsteps, said that although there may be some logistical issues to implementing a new system, the benefits would outweigh them.
“It may well be a logistical nightmare, but the benefits to the child are enormous. In some circumstances, children are missing the free entitlement by a whole term.
“This would give children access earlier, especially more vulnerable children. If they were not eligible for the two-year-old offer, then this is getting them into early education earlier."
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