Families can now enrol children for funded places for August.

All three and four-year-olds and a quarter of two-year-olds will benefit from 1,140 hours of child care a year - the most generous offer in the UK.

It comes as a nationwide public information campaign to encourage families to enrol their children for early childcare funding this summer. Backed by a £2 billion investment, parents or carers can register through their local authority and apply for the option that suits their needs best.

The increase in funded hours has required further recruitment infrastructure - where more than 270 nurseries have been built since March last year and an additional 4,300 full time childcare roles have been established. 

Due to the phasing of the increased funding, almost 50,000 children are already benefitting from more than the current 600 hours they are entitled to, allowing parents and carers to explore work, education and training opportunities.

Children’s Minister Maree Todd said: “If you’ve got a child who will be two, three or four, now is the time to see what they could receive from this August."

“Tens of thousands of children are already benefitting from high-quality early learning and childcare, and I’ve heard first-hand how it’s helped to boost their confidence and communication skills, and given them access to more opportunities such as outdoor learning.

“I’ve also heard how it has made an enormous difference to families in terms of enabling mums and dads to get back into, or spend more time studying, working or training.

“I would encourage all parents with eligible children to get in touch with their local authority to identify the funded option that is best for their child from the great choices available, and find out when to apply.

“There is no cost to families who take up this offer so the 1,140 hours can save each family as much as £4,500, and we hope that this campaign will let as many families as possible know what they are entitled to.”

Families should visit the Parent Club website to find out how to enrol for funded early learning and childcare places in their area.

Local authorities have individual application processes and deadlines. The Parent Club website will link to your local authority for more information.