Disadvantaged children risk being left out of free childcare, say UK charities

As it stands, families without regular work, including those in education or training, single parents, and parents with disabilities, are unable to access the 15 hours of free childcare now available to working families of children as young as nine months.

Disadvantaged children miss out on equal access to childcare

Charities highlight that the new scheme has introduced a concerning disparity: disadvantaged children are eligible for only half the hours of early education provided to children with working parents.

This leaves the UK’s most vulnerable children without equal access to social and educational experiences at a formative stage of development. "Government is 'excluding' disadvantaged kids from free childcare," noted a tweet from The Big Issue. "It could trap them in poverty."

Lydia Hodges, head of Coram Family and Childcare, expressed concern about the scheme’s accessibility: “At a time when childcare seems to rarely be out of the spotlight, these findings show that children who may benefit the most from early education are often missing out.”

A growing gap in eligibility

Under the current policy, all three- and four-year-olds, along with some two-year-olds from low-income families, qualify for 15 hours of free childcare. However, thresholds determining eligibility haven’t been adjusted since 2018, despite substantial inflation.

Consequently, the number of two-year-olds considered eligible has dropped from 40% in 2015 to just 27% in 2023, according to government estimates.

Families facing additional challenges—including those living in poverty, from ethnic minority backgrounds, or raising children with disabilities—are reportedly less likely to secure this entitlement. Coram Family and Childcare’s recent study suggests that for these families, barriers such as income restrictions and limited support networks further reduce accessibility to early education.

The impact of limited access on families and the workforce

Ruth Talbot, policy and advocacy advisor on child poverty at Save the Children UK, highlighted how restrictive policies may be counterproductive to economic growth and family wellbeing. “The expansion of the funded childcare hours is a positive for many families, but for those who are excluded from the offer it feels like another barrier to overcome, serving to push parents further from the labour force," she explained.

This strain often forces parents into difficult decisions about work, while their children miss out on critical early social experiences.

In London, where families face some of the UK’s highest childcare costs, over half of working parents have reported turning to food banks for support, according to a recent study by The Felix Project. The statistics raise troubling questions: “Is this the country we live in?” asked one parent affected by the shortfall.

A call for inclusive, comprehensive childcare policies

As charities and advocacy groups sound the alarm, the pressure is mounting on policymakers to re-evaluate eligibility criteria to ensure all children have a fair start. Expanded eligibility and increased support for non-working or training parents, single-parent households, and parents with disabilities could provide the crucial support that disadvantaged families need.

While the government’s expansion of funded childcare hours has been celebrated, the message from these organisations is clear: until every child has equal access to early education, the cycle of poverty will continue. A comprehensive approach to childcare could pave the way to a more inclusive, equitable society, helping every child, regardless of their background, get the best start in life.

Read more:

• Ministers scrap ‘free childcare’ label as frustration grows over soaring nursery fees
• Half of parents no longer reading to preschoolers daily since pandemic, National Literacy Trust survey reveals
• Free school meals trial feeds 20,000 more children in England