Families are facing significant increases in nursery fees as early years providers struggle with the rollout of a new free childcare scheme. The scheme, part of a £4 billion investment announced by former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to provide 30 hours of free childcare for children from nine months old by September next year. However, as the second phase begins, offering 15 free hours to under-twos starting Monday, nurseries are raising fees and adding extra charges for items like food and nappies due to inadequate funding. A survey by Pregnant Then Screwed reveals that many parents are also seeing price hikes outside the funded hours and additional fees for the funded hours, which were not anticipated.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/childcare-free-hours-labour-nurseries-b2603236.html
