Jeremy Corbyn pledges universal free childcare for parents of all two, three and four-year olds
2 min read
A Labour government will oversee a massive expansion of free childcare for the parents of pre-school youngsters, Jeremy Corbyn is to announce.
He will use his keynote speech to his party's conference to confirm that 30 hours a week of state-provided childcare will be made available for all two, three and four-year-olds, regardless of their parents' income.
The Government will also provide additional, means-tested childcare for young families in a move designed to help mums and dads go back to work.
Mr Corbyn will say the move is a "vital and long overdue change that will transform people’s lives and meet the needs of a 21st century Britain for all".
He will also pledge that standards in the sector will rise thanks to a shift to a "graduate-led workforce" by the end of the second term of a Labour government.
The Labour leader will say: "Opportunity matters most in the earliest years of life. It is a crucial time to open up children’s life chances. Driving up standards of childcare will make that vital difference for millions of our children."
At the moment, parents of three and four-year-olds are guaranteed 15 hours of free childcare per week.
But according to Labour, only 40% of two-year-olds qualify for childcare and many working parents with three and four-year-old children are not getting the childcare they were promised because of the complexity of the system and the "hotchpotch of vouchers and credits" made available by the Government.
Labour say they would immediately ensure that two-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of childcare per week, doubling to 30 hours by the end of the next Parliament.
Parents would choose their childcare provider, claim their free hours and make payments for any subsidised additional hours by setting up an online account, Labour say.
However, it is unclear how much the ambitious policy will cost, with some estimates that it would cost the Government tens of billions of pounds extra per year.
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