The first few schemes in the two-year pilot are due to launch nextmonth.
All are expected to be up and running by September. The plan wasoriginally announced in spring 2004 but has only just been finalised,and it was feared that the scheme had been dropped.
However, Children Now has discovered that the Department for Educationand Skills is set to launch the pilot in April with the aim of getting6,000 children into free childcare in the first year.
Overall, the Government hopes to reach 12,000 two-year- olds. The pilotwill focus on children in disadvantaged areas including communitieswhere take-up of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds has beenlow. It will also attempt to target families that have traditionallyfound it harder to access childcare such as those with disabled childrenand people from Black and ethnic minority communities.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
