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The United Kingdom has upgraded its childcare services to ease the burden of working parents.
Previously, the UK government granted 15 hours of free childcare to children aged three to four. The government later extended the entitlement to two-year-old kids. Now, the United Kingdom is making yet another upgrade on its child services program by increasing the free childcare hours to 30 per week.
The government started offering the service last September. However, it is exclusive to three- and four-year-old children and can only be availed for 38 weeks.
Parents eligible to apply for the new scheme include self-employed parents and those with contractual work. They should also earn a salary equal to 16 hours of work each week. Meanwhile, parents whose annual income is more than £100,000 are unqualified for the new scheme.
The upgrade is meant to assist working parents in caring for their children. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, childcare in the country is very expensive and British families spend 30% of their income on it. The Minister for Children and Families said that the new scheme is expected to help parents save £5,000 per child annually.
Despite the benefits of the new initiative, some childcare providers and nurseries are concerned. They said that the new scheme is underfunded and will cause them some losses. For instance, a nursery owner said that she needs £7.50 per hour to take care of each child, but the government will give her only £4.07. Because of this deficit, parents may still have to shell out on additional things like food.