Providers fear 'lack of nursery places' as funded childcare expansion applications open for nine-month-olds

Parents of children who will be between nine and 23 months old by 31 August can now apply to access 15 hours of funded childcare a week.

This is phase two of the government’s funded childcare rollout, which saw all eligible two-year-olds of working parents offered 15 hours of funded care per week in April. This will increase to 30 hours per week for children aged nine months and above from September 2025.

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The DfE has said 211,027 two-year-olds are already benefitting from government-funded places.

Yet childcare leaders are questioning the expansion of the rollout to nine-month-olds, building on concerns they had in April regarding the success of the scheme.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association, said: “We are pleased that the government is building in adequate time for parents to be able to register for the September places, which in turn will help childcare providers to be able to plan ahead.

"One of the challenges of the expansion is that some parents may struggle to find a suitable place for their child, so we would urge them to speak with their local providers as soon as possible, as well as with their council.”

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, added: “We remain entirely unconvinced that the government will be able to keep the huge promise it has made to parents. While the first phase largely involved families who were already accessing early years places switching from private to government-funded places, the next phase is set to place further – and far more severe – capacity challenges on the sector, with the government itself predicting that 15,000 places will be needed by this September alone, and a further 70,000 by the end of the rollout. 

“Rather than pretending that this application launch is a cause for celebration, ministers should acknowledge the scale of the challenge ahead of them and take the action needed to safeguard the future of the sector – that is, adequate funding and a comprehensive workforce strategy.”

June O'Sullivan, chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), said: "If the second step of the government's expanded childcare offer for working families of younger children in England is to be successful, it's imperative that both the funding and provision is adequate. This must ensure poorer children from disadvantaged backgrounds can access nurseries which provide high-quality education and care as our children deserve the best.

"Furthermore, the recruitment of talented, committed and properly rewarded early years staff is critical in helping meet the increase in demand for childcare. If there's a steep shortage of staff, there will inevitably be a shortage of places and this is bad news for children, parents and the economy.”

Speaking at the Progressive Britain Conference in central London on Saturday, Labour MP Stella Creasey told delegates that there "are no places" for families to benefit from.

"We are hearing providers saying that they cannot cater for this expansion, the only people benefitting are those who already have the places. 

"We need a major reform of childcare in England," she added.

Meanwhile, the National Audit Office (NAO) has reported that the funded childcare offer for working parents will widen the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers.