Children naturally learn by playing, exploring their world, being creative and finding things out. Children who chat, play and read with adults at home have a great start to their learning.
Children who have experienced high-quality pre-school education are better able to make good progress in their learning in school.
Benefits for children
Parents often say their children benefit by:
- having fun
- improving language and social skills
- making new friends
- experiencing new activities and learning new things
- building their confidence and independence
- encouraging their imagination and creativity
- developing skills that help them when they start school
- learning to share, take turns and listen.
Benefits for you
Free childcare hours also enable parents to:
- start, go back to, or increase their hours at work
- undertake training and gain qualifications
- volunteer
- spend time with younger siblings
- continue with caring responsibilities
- know that they are giving their child a good start to their education and improving their outcomes throughout their life.
What parents have said about free childcare
Mum of five:
My son’s understanding and confidence have really improved since I’ve increased his hours at nursery. He’s become more confident and his speech is improving all the time. Family life has improved; it’s not so stressful now. I would recommend other parents to look into this, especially with today’s financial situation.
Mum who had to give up work due to a medical condition:
I could see with my daughter being at home every day that she needed to be doing something. My nursery told me about the funding available for two year olds and I was able to increase her sessions. I would never have been able to afford this care otherwise. My health has improved, life is more relaxed and it’s easier to deal with my condition. My daughter doesn’t suffer when I’m having a bad day. Even without a medical condition this would help any parent.