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Free childcare offer update

Published: 18/10/2019

The Council’s Cabinet is to receive a report on the 3-4 Year Old Funded Childcare Offer and the work undertaken to support families to access the Offer at its meeting on 22 October.

Twelve months ahead of schedule, the Welsh Government has achieved its undertaking to provide working parents with up to 30 hours of government funded childcare and early education for 3 and 4 year olds by the end of the current Welsh Assembly in 2021. This has been a collaborative approach between local authorities and government. Flintshire was one of the Early Implementer Authorities; and is a Delivery Authority for Wrexham Borough Council and Denbighshire County Council.

Applications from eligible parents were first processed in Flintshire in June 2017, for children to access the Offer from September 2017. The Offer was fully implemented across Flintshire by May 2018 and currently 1200 children in Flintshire are accessing the Offer, which is one of the highest take-up rates in Wales.

Cllr. Christine Jones, Cabinet Member for Social Services said;

“The aim of the Offer is to support families with quality, flexible and affordable care and this has been very successful in Flintshire, benefitting families, the childcare sector and our local communities.

“The Offer also supports economic regeneration and reduces pressures on family income and many parents have confirmed a return to work or an increase in working hours as a result of being in receipt of the Offer and this has reduced the risk of poverty for many families.”

Further information about the Offer is available via Flintshire County Council’s website

Advice and assistance is also available to parents and from childcare sector partners including Early Years Wales, Childminders, Day Nurseries and Mudiad Meithrin.