Last year, the Government extended families' entitlement to freechildcare funded through local authorities. All three- andfour-year-olds are now entitled to 12.5 hours of free childcare a weekfor 38 weeks a year.
The long-term goal of the Government's 10-year childcare strategy is forall three- and four-year-olds to get 20 hours of quality childcare aweek. As a first step, the entitlement will extend to 15 hours a weekfor all by 2010. This is being introduced gradually with a group ofcouncils testing the best way of making it work and offering the freeplaces in more flexible chunks.
Fifteen local authorities are also currently testing free childcare fortwo-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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